President Petr Pavel wants to announce joint participation in the NATO summit in Turkey in July after his meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) on Friday. In the event that there is no agreement between the two heads of state, the head of state is ready to turn to the Constitutional Court through a competence action. Pavel said this in an interview with Deník N.

The main point of contention between Prague Castle and the Government is the question of who will officially represent the Czech Republic at the Alliance summit. The president is pushing for him to lead the delegation, while Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has previously indicated that he does not think it makes sense for the president and the government delegation to participate in the same trip at the same time.

At the same time, Pavel indicated that he would attend the summit at any cost. He also admitted the possibility that he would travel to Turkey independently, i.e. outside the official government delegation. Such a move would further strain relations between the Castle and the Straka Academy and could open up a wider debate on the division of powers between the president and the government in foreign policy.

The issue of representation of the Czech Republic at international summits is not clearly defined in the Czech constitutional system. The President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and traditionally participates in important security meetings, but the government is also responsible for the foreign policy of the state. It is the different interpretation of these competences that is now behind the emerging conflict.

Friday's meeting between the President and the Prime Minister may therefore be crucial not only for the NATO summit itself, but also for the future cooperation between the Castle and the Government. According to information published by the President's Office, Petr Pavel will receive Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Friday, 8 May at 8:30 am at Prague Castle. A brief statement to the media is planned after the meeting.

In recent weeks, the dispute itself has expanded into an open clash between the president and the foreign minister Petrem Macinkou (Motorists). He has repeatedly argued that the Czech Republic should be represented at the alliance summit by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, not the president. Macinka also described Petr Pavel as a politician who, in his view, „represents the opposition“ and questioned his participation in the NATO summit.

The tension between the Castle and the head of diplomacy further escalated after the government approved air travel to the summit for Prime Minister Babiš, Foreign Minister Macinka and Defence Minister Jaromír Zúna, while President Petr Pavel was not originally on the list. Pavel subsequently stated that he intended to attend the summit regardless of the government's position and that he considered leading the Czech delegation part of his constitutional role.

Babiš has said in the past that he prefers the option of travelling to Turkey together with Macinka. He argued that both would be better able to defend the government's positions on defence spending and security policy.

The NATO summit in Turkey in July will be one of the most important NATO meetings this year. The main topics are expected to be the security situation in Europe, further support for Ukraine and strengthening the defence capabilities of member states.

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