The Czech government considers the obligations related to the Czech Republic’s membership in the North Atlantic Alliance to be “very fundamental and a priority” and will do everything to fulfill them. This was announced by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Marko Rutte in Prague on Thursday, reports TASR in Prague.
- The Czech government considers its commitments to NATO to be essential and a priority.
- Czech President Petr Pavel doubts the inclusion of transport expenses in defense.
- The Czech Prime Minister admits the different calculations of defense expenses between the government and NATO.
- The Prime Minister and the Secretary General of NATO are setting up teams to compare defense numbers.
- Mark Rutte sees room for Czech aid in increasing the defense industry.
They also talked with Rutte about Czech defense spending, the amount of which was criticized not only by the opposition, but also by President Petr Pavel. He pointed out on Wednesday that Rutte is contacting those countries in which there could be a problem with the fulfillment of defense obligations before the NATO summit. He himself considers it likely that part of the expenses of the Ministry of Transport will not be recognized as defense and, according to him, the Czech Republic would not even meet the mandatory two percent of GDP for defense.
Differing views on spending
At the briefing with Rutte, Babiš pointed out that defense spending is important for his government. As an example, he stated that one of his cabinet’s priorities is to build a bigger army. At the same time, however, he admitted that his government’s view and NATO’s view on the scope of the Czech Republic’s defense spending are different.
“Our numbers are different. That’s why we agreed that our teams – the team of the Minister of Defense and the team of the Secretary General – will discuss it. It is important that we know each other’s expectations and what our possibilities and goals are… We agreed that our teams will exchange the numbers so that it is clear what the percentages are,” said the Czech Prime Minister. He added that his government will do everything to ensure that the Czech Republic fulfills its obligations. “You yourself know that I have always fought for the interests of Europe,” he told Rutte.
Preparations for the summit in Ankara
He pointed out that every time he visits a NATO member country, he negotiates with its representatives about defense spending, and it was no different in Prague. “It is important that we all fulfill our obligations,” he emphasized. He added that this year’s summit in Ankara will also be about them.
In addition to defense spending, NATO members will also deal with the issue of Ukraine or industrial production in the field of defense. According to Rutte, it is important to secure not only money, but also more production. According to him, the Czech Republic could help with that.
