Prague, Nov 9 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman is very happy about the victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, he congratulated Trump on it and invited him to the Czech Republic, he told journalists at Prague Castle yesterday.
“The result of the U.S. presidential election made me very happy and I want to congratulate Mr Donald Trump,” Zeman said.
He said he hopes that relations between the Czech Republic and the United Stats will no longer be burdened with misunderstandings.
Zeman mentioned the “not entirely professional stance” taken by the current U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, Andrew Schapiro, on his trip to the 70th anniversary celebrations of the end of World War Two in Moscow last year.
He also said Schapiro was nearly the only ambassador who did not take part in the celebration on the Czech national holiday of October 28 at Prague Castle.
In reaction, the U.S. Embassy in Prague said Schapiro did attend the celebration.
Zeman said he publicly supported Trump in September already.
“I was one of a few European politicians to do so,” Zeman said.
He justified his support with his agreement with Trump’s opinions on migration and the struggle with Islamist terrorists.
In his letter to Trump, Zeman said he supported Trump before the election because he knew that if elected U.S. president he would have a new and fresh view of a great many political affairs.
A new phase of Czech-U.S. relations and trans-Atlantic cooperation has started with the election of Trump, he said.
Zeman also said he respects Trump’s appearances because he speaks clearly and shuns political correctness.
“I believe that the American elections have shown the will of the American people to not let themselves be manipulated by the public media,” Zeman said.
He said most U.S. mass media were against Trump. Media should cover news rather than create public opinion, he added.
During the campaign before the Czech presidential elections, most Czech public media opposed Zeman.
Zeman himself wrote that some Czech journalists label him a Czech Donald Trump. He said he always considered this label an appreciation rather than an offence.
Zeman criticised the U.S. public opinion polls that predicted the victory of the Democrat Hillary Clinton over the Republican Trump. He indicated that the polls were manipulated.
Zeman remembered that the largest community of Czech expatriates is in the United States and that the USA is the biggest business partner of Czech exporters outside Europe.
