Prague, July 9 (CTK) – Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) assured the leaders of the parties represented in Czech parliament that the country will not take part in the payment of the Greek debt, he told a press conference after a lower house session Thursday.
He said he can see no reason why anybody should demand this from the Czech Republic.
“As we are not part of the euro zone, I consider such a possibility to be extremely unlikely,” Sobotka said.
Prague cannot directly influence whether a deal between Greece and the euro zone would be reached, he said.
But the Czech Republic may be confronted with some results of the negotiations between the euro zone and Greece at the EU summit in Brussels on Sunday, he added.
The EU summit will follow a meeting of the eurozone countries.
If Greece leaves the euro zone, the EU will have to take steps that will require an agreement of all its members including the Czech Republic, Sobotka said.
“But it is apparent that even if Greece does not stay in the euro zone, it will remain in the European Union, in NATO, in Europe, and it will of course be crucial that it copes with the situation,” he said.
Sobotka rejected the demand of the opposition Civic Democrats (ODS) that the Czech Republic start negotiating about an exception from joining the euro zone.
Czechs would “look like Martians” if they presented such a demand, he said.
“What Europe needs now is the most intensive cooperation of the individual member countries,” Sobotka said.
ODS leader Petr Fiala said the developments in Greece show that the Czech Republic should have an exception from the duty to enter the euro zone.
When joining the EU in 2004, the Czech Republic pledged to adopt the euro as its currency, but no deadline has been set.
Sobotka said joining the euro zone is not a hot issue for the Czech Republic now and the country has other priorities.
The Greek debt has exceeded 320 billion euros. It owes the biggest sum to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and, among countries, to Germany, France and Italy.
On Sunday, the Greeks rejected the terms of new financial aid set by the euro zone.
