Andrej Babis, leader of ANO and the likely next Czech prime minister, held talks with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels yesterday, mainly discussing current events in world politics, Babis announced on social media.
“Mark Rutte and I have known each other for nine years and today we reminisced about old times, but most importantly we discussed current events in world politics. It was a pleasant meeting. Thank you for the invitation to a friendly lunch,” Babis said.
He announced his departure to Brussels in a morning video on social media.
Babis is currently in the process of forming a government with two smaller parties, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Motorists. On Monday they will sign the coalition agreement and present their policy statement.
During the negotiations, ANO first deputy leader Karel Havlicek said that discussion of the Czech Republic’s withdrawal from the European Union or NATO was out of the question for the emerging government, even in the form of a referendum. SPD is in favour of a national referendum on Czech membership of the EU and NATO.
Babis has also said several times before that the Czech-led ammunition initiative should come under NATO, though outgoing Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky argues that the alliance does not have the necessary apparatus to operate the initiative.
