Prague, July 8 (CTK) – Former deputy foreign minister Petr Drulak, the architect of the concept that the Czech foreign policy should drop former president Vaclav Havel’s human rights focus, will leave the office at the end of August, daily Pravo writes on Friday, referring to two independent diplomatic sources.
Personal disputes between Drulak and Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (Social Democrats, CSSD) are the reason for Drulak’s departure, Pravo writes.
Havel’s foreign policy with its stress on human rights was wrong and harmful, Drulak (CSSD) said in 2014.
Drulak said he did not think the Czech Republic’s reputation was associated in any major way with Havel’s concept of human rights.
Drulak said some elements of the Czech human rights policy could be perceived by the relevant societies as aggressive. He cited Tibet as an example of his argument.
Petr Drulak left the post of deputy foreign minister in mid-2015 and became Zaoralek’s political secretary.
“The relations between Zaoralek and Drulak much worsened recently. If I were to cite Drulak, he feels intellectually offended,” a diplomat who requested anonymity has told the paper.
“There are reportedly disagreements in the sphere of Czech foreign policy concept,” he added.
“However, Drulak has kept for himself the exact reasons of why this is so and what has happened,” the diplomat said.
Zaoralek and members of his team were taken by surprise by Drulak’s decision, Pravo writes, quoting another source.
“It is unpleasant because Drulak was the author of a number of Zaoralek’s speeches. Now a replacement must be looked for,” the source said.
Drulak himself has declined to comment on the affair. Zaoralek did not react to the paper’s question, too.
In November 2014, Drulak was criticised by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) over his foreign policy statements.
Chamber of Deputies chairman Jan Hamacek (CSSD) said as a civil servant, Drulak had to respect the government policy in the sphere of human rights and Havel’s legacy.
Pravo writes it has been suggested at the Foreign Ministry that Drulak might become Czech ambassador to Portugal.
