Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka insists that Czech President Petr Pavel cannot go to the July NATO summit in Ankara. He justified this by the fact that Pavel does not agree with the policy of the government of Andrej Babiš and criticizes it abroad. He also pointed out that it would not be good to get into a situation where, for example, Pavel would not shake the hand of American President Donald Trump. Macinka stated this on Thursday for Czech Television. Pavel pointed out at the press conference that the debate on security is in the interest not only of the government, but also of the president, reports TASR in Prague.
In short:
- The Czech Foreign Minister rejects the participation of President Pavle at the NATO summit
- Macinka claims that President Pavel criticizes the policy of the government of Andrej Babiš abroad
According to the head of Czech diplomacy, it is the president’s duty to defend the government’s policy. In addition, he blamed him for criticizing Trump. “He and his entourage have long made no secret of their hostile attitude towards American President Trump and his administration. The American side is undoubtedly well aware of Peter Pavle’s broad statements, so it is not reasonable to expose ourselves or our partners to an embarrassing situation in which, for example, the Czech president refuses to shake the American’s hand, as he has already publicly announced in the past,” said Macinka.
Macink’s reservations
At Thursday’s press conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarello, Pavel responded to journalists’ questions on this topic by saying that he does not see a fundamental difference between the president and the government when it comes to the promotion of Czech national interests. “The Czech Republic is part of NATO and the EU, and our interest is to be trusted allies and partners in both institutions who deserve the support of others. I am convinced that if it is the North Atlantic Alliance, we do not differ in that fundamental approach,” he pointed out.
He acknowledged that government representatives will probably be able to explain in more detail their approach to fulfilling obligations, but if it is a general informal debate on European and Euro-Atlantic security, not only the government is interested in it, but also the president as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The President’s attitude towards NATO
Pavel wrote a letter to Babiš on Wednesday, in which he stated that he wants to head the Czech delegation to the July NATO summit in Ankara. He argued that according to the constitution, his role is to represent the country externally. He suggested to Babiš that he go to Ankara with him. According to Pavel, they should talk about the dispute when Babiš returns from vacation and he returns from a trip abroad in South America in the second half of April.
