Prime Minister Andrej Babis and President Petr Pavel attended events yesterday at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, but separately, in dual delegations, stemming from a several-month dispute between the government and the head of state over who would represent the Czech Republic at this key alliance meeting. This culminated in the two men leaving the same hotel yesterday evening for an informal dinner, but in separate motorcades.
Babis and Pavel traveled to Ankara on different planes, which landed in the Turkish capital within a few dozen minutes of each other. Their Turkish hosts welcomed both high-ranking Czech politicians with a military honour guard and a ceremonial reception. Even before departure, Pavel announced that he would attend the informal dinner for NATO leaders in Ankara that evening, an event to which only Prime Minister Babis had originally been invited.
Thus, two Czech motorcades passed each other on the streets of Ankara, which were virtually deserted due to security measures. The prime minister and the president both attended the NATO Defence Industry Forum, where member states announced new commitments to procure military equipment, though they were present at different times. Both Babis and Pavel met with Secretary-General Mark Rutte and other political leaders from NATO member countries at the forum.
Journalists who were part of the presidential delegation asked Pavel at every opportunity how he plans to coordinate with the government delegation, and whether he had any idea what would happen at the informal dinner. That afternoon, Pavel told reporters that he would most likely meet with the Czech prime minister at the dinner for the first time during the summit. “So I hope we won’t shy away from each other and that we’ll be able to coordinate,” he added. Pavel also said he intended to discuss their respective bilateral meetings with Babis to ensure that they wouldn’t end up meeting with the same counterparts.
“This is great news; we’ll have the strongest delegation,” responded Babis, in sarcastic remarks to reporters before leaving the hotel. His wife Monika accompanied him to the dinner. Babis said that if they had been at the same table, he would not rule out taking a selfie together. However, the prime minister missed the opportunity for a joint photo at the hotel, where CTK reporters said that Pavel waited for some time, before ultimately leaving earlier.
When asked by reporters how allies view the situation in the Czech Republic, the president noted that most of the Czech Republic’s partners in the alliance are polite enough not to ask such questions.
Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told reporters accompanying the prime minister yesterday afternoon that while the government had been informed by the Turkish side about Pavel’s attendance at the dinner, it had not been informed about other meetings the president had planned in the Turkish capital.
Macinka declined to comment on whether Babis and Pavel would sit at the same table for the informal dinner, or on their further communication. Asked whether allies were aware that the prime minister and president were in effectively separate delegations in Ankara, Macinka replied: “No one is really concerned about that”.
However, the awkward situation regarding the Czech delegation was noted by the U.S. network CNN, which pointed out the arrival of two Czech special flights carrying the president and the prime minister, attributing it to an obscure domestic political dispute. According to the government, traveling on two separate planes is justified by security concerns, while the Presidential Office claimed that the trip could have been made using just one plane.
The government initially did not want Pavel to attend the summit, but the Constitutional Court ordered the cabinet to allow it in a preliminary ruling. Babis tried until the very last moment to convince Pavel not to travel to Ankara, arguing that doing so would damage the Czech Republic’s reputation abroad. Pavel, however, views his participation as a constitutional and professional duty.
Both parts of the delegation are expected to sit on the same side of the table at least at today’s meeting of the North Atlantic Council itself, which will take place in the format of heads of state and government. Babis said he will deliver a five-minute speech, in which he is expected to address the issue of increasing defence spending. According to CTK sources, there is unlikely to be time for Pavel to speak.
From Ankara, the president and prime minister will then fly back to the Czech Republic on two separate planes.
