On Wednesday, President Petr Pavel sent a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in which he clearly declared his intention to lead the Czech delegation at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July. The letter, published by Prague Castle, comes at a time when the two constitutional officials cannot meet in person - Babiš is spending the Easter holidays abroad, despite the fact that he is also due to be in Prague for a visit by Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
„In view of the impossibility to meet in person and following our telephone call, I would like to inform you that, in accordance with my constitutional position, I intend to participate as the head of the Czech delegation at the meeting of the NATO Heads of State in Ankara in early July this year.“ Paul wrote. He cites Article 63 of the Constitution of the Czech Republic as the legal basis, which entrusts the president with representing the state externally, while at the same time calling for the preservation of long-standing customs.
The dispute over who will go to Ankara has been going on since the end of January and the beginning of February. Prime Minister Babiš said at the time: „I think it's best if I go there with Macinka, because we will explain it better than the president, who is criticizing us for it.“ He was referring to a long-running dispute over the amount of Czech defence spending, which the government has reduced compared to previous commitments - a move that has been criticised not only by Pavel himself but also by US diplomats.
In his letter to Babiš, Pavel suggests that he attend the summit with him. With regard to the key topics - defence spending and the implementation of the commitments made at last year's Hague summit - the president urged Babiš to be able to „explain in detail the position of the Czech government.“ The government plans call for a delegation consisting of Babiš, Macinka and Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna, without the president.
Foreign Minister Petr Macinka reacted harshly to the letter. He stated that the Czech Republic should only be represented at formal summits abroad by public officials who have real political influence in the country, and that the President's „willfulness“ in this case, he identified the acting „rather undignified,“ Czech Television reported. Macinka has repeatedly referred to Pavel as a representative of the opposition and in the past has indicated that he intends to block the president's other foreign trips.
Pavel has attended all NATO summits since he took office - in Vilnius in 2023, in Washington in 2024 and last year in The Hague. Historical practice is not clear: under President Václav Klaus, it was common for both the president and the prime minister to attend summits. Under Miloš Zeman, the Czech delegation at many summits was led by the president without the presence of the prime minister. An exception was the Madrid summit in 2022, where Zeman was replaced by Prime Minister Petr Fiala by mutual agreement.
The NATO summit will take place in Ankara on 7 and 8 July. Whether the Czech delegation will be led by the President or the Prime Minister remains an open question - and probably the subject of further constitutional tension.
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