Czech Republic represented by two leaders at NATO summit in Ankara

One of the notable episodes at the 36th NATO heads of state and government summit in Ankara was a representation dispute involving the Czech Republic.

Due to a power dispute between President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babis, the country was represented at the summit by two leaders.

The Czech Republic drew attention as the only NATO member attending the summit simultaneously at presidential and prime ministerial level. The two leaders arrived in Ankara on separate state aircraft.

The dispute stemmed from Babis’s announcement that the Czech Republic would be represented at the NATO summit by himself, the defence minister and the foreign minister, excluding President Pavel from the official delegation.

Pavel then took the matter to the Czech Constitutional Court. A temporary ruling by the court allowed the president to attend the NATO summit in Ankara.

Pavel, a former senior NATO military official, said direct contacts with allied leaders and participation in discussions were part of his constitutional powers as head of state.

The political standoff that began in Prague was also visible in Ankara. In NATO’s traditional family photo, Pavel and Babis avoided standing next to each other and appeared on opposite sides of the podium.

N.Tebrizli