Prague, March 31 (CTK) – Supreme representatives will meet at Prague Castle, the presidential seat, on Tuesday to discuss Czech foreign policy, including President Milos Zeman’s prepared visit to the United States, Michaela Lagronova, spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, has told CTK.
It will be a regular meeting which is held every three months, she added.
Zeman’s spokesman Jiri Ovcacek also said the politicians will discuss Zeman’s U.S. visit.
He said other issues will include Brexit and the future of the EU, the May meeting of NATO and the Czech presidency of the Council of Europe.
At the meetings, the leading politicians are trying to unite their foreign political stances.
In addition to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) and Zeman who convokes them, the meetings are attended by Chamber of Deputies chairman Jan Hamacek, Senate chairman Milan Stech, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (all CSSD) and Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO).
Zeman is going to visit the United States at the end of April. He will be accompanied by Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (CSSD) and Deputy Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO), and possibly by other ministers.
Zeman is to meet Donald Trump, who invited him to the White House shortly after he was elected U.S. President last year.
At the previous meetings at Prague Castle, supreme Czech politicians discussed support for economic diplomacy, the struggle against Islamic State, migration and other issues.
Most recently, they met on November 1,2016 to discuss foreign policy. At that time, focus was placed in the media as well as among politicians on the Czech stance on China, mainly in connection with the Dalai Lama’s visit to Prague in October.
The meeting participants made a statement reassuring that the Czech Republic recognises united China, including Tibet.
It arose a wave of criticism by opposition, as well as government coalition politicians and other people from the public sector who labelled it kowtowing to China.
ms/dr/kva
