Czech Foreign Minister Insists PM Babiš Lead NATO Summit Delegation Over President

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka has firmly stated that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš must head the Czech delegation to the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, not President Petr Pavel. This stance further intensifies the long-running dispute between the government and the president over representation at the alliance's highest level.

Citing Aktualne.cz, the minister indirectly confirmed that President Pavel will also attend the summit but promised to present the final delegation composition to the government on Monday. The president believes that according to protocol, he automatically leads the state delegation. In response, the foreign minister argued that the Constitutional Court has not annulled the current decree on delegation composition, which assigns a leading role to the prime minister.

Prime Minister Babiš stated on social media that he will comment on the matter after Monday's government meeting. Earlier this week, the government announced it would include the president in the official delegation after being ordered to do so by the Constitutional Court. Babiš previously described the president's participation in the summit as illogical, despite both prime ministers and presidents having historically represented Czechia at such events.