State Relationships with the Diaspora: The Czech and Slovak Case

Currently, diasporas are perceived as important non-state actors in international relations and essential partners of the country of origin. The article focuses on this topic using the example of Czechia and Slovakia as two small Central European states that once shared a common past and are now independently developing a relationship with their diaspora. The article explores these interactions in the two countries, looking for commonalities, differences and possibilities for future development. To do so, it uses the methods of documentary analysis and comparison. A relationship with the diaspora is vital for both countries, but the level of cooperation still has room for further development. The differences between the two are mainly in the aspects of the relationship between the state and the diaspora. In the case of Czechia, the opportunity for development lies mainly at the administrative and political levels. In comparison, in Slovakia, this space is found mainly at the level of economic cooperation.