Prague, June 13 (CTK) – President Milos Zeman may invite British Queen Elizabeth II to attend the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s foundation during his audience with her on Friday, the director of Presidential Office foreign department, Rudolf Jindrak, told CTK on Tuesday.
They may also discuss joint history, terrorism and economic cooperation in the Buckingham Palace, Jindrak said.
“We presume that on the occasion Zeman will invite the British Queen to the Czech Republic,” Jindrak said.
According to Czech diplomatic sources, the British Queen has only received the President of Croatia this year and is about to meet another two representatives by the end of the year.
Jindrak said the Presidential Office had worked on the visit for five months.
He said the Queen had invited Zeman to visit Britain in a letter from 2013.
Zeman is scheduled to lay flowers at a memorial to the Battle of England, in which Czechoslovak pilots fought in the RAF.
Zeman is also to meet Czech war veterans who live in Britain.
Zeman is to hand the diploma promoting Czechoslovak pilot Miroslav Antonin Liskutin to the rank of general. Liskutin, who has been living in England, fought with the RAF during World War Two. He was promoted to general on May 8, 2017, however, he could not attend the ceremony at Prague Castle.
Zeman’s predecessors, Czech presidents Vaclav Havel and Vaclav Klaus, met Queen Elizabeth II several times. Havel met her for the first time in 1990. In 1996, Elizabeth II paid a visit to the Czech Republic. In 1998, Havel was welcomed in the Buckingham Palace with all honours. Klaus and his wife had an audience with the Queen in 2007.
