Prague, Dec 10 (CTK) – Top Czech constitutional officials and President Milos Zeman will meet at the presidential seat on Wednesday, December 16, to discuss foreign policy and other affairs, Zeman´s spokesman Jiri Ovcacek told CTK yesterday.
Two similar meetings were held in February and March in order to harmonise the positions of the government, the parliament and the president. These talks were triggered by Zeman´s pro-Russian views concerning the crisis in Ukraine that were not in line with the position of the government and the European Union.
The previous meetings were attended by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD), Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO), Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, Chamber of Deputies chairman Jan Hamacek and Senate chairman Milan Stech (all CSSD).
It is expected that the meeting next week will deal with the migrant crisis and possible steps to be taken in relation to it.
Sobotka and Zeman have recently clashed in media over their views on the migrant crisis. Zeman claimed that the migrant wave is linked to terrorism and he blamed Sobotka for threatening the country´s security. Sobotka said Zeman made anti-Islam statements in order to become more popular.
Ovcacek said previously that he believes Zeman and Sobotka would deal with this dispute only at the sidelines of the meeting.
The Wednesday talks may cover the Czech participation in fighting terrorism and the deployment of Czech troops abroad.
kva/dr/rtj
