New York, Sept 21 (CTK) – Head of the President Office foreign department, Hynek Kmonicek, will become the new Czech ambassador to USA, President Milos Zeman said during his visit to New York yesterday.
Kmonicek, who will replace Petr Gandalovic, will take up the post next March, Zeman said, adding that he had already signed his credentials.
“I have signed the naming decree, but I told him that he can only leave after he passes his credentials to the new (U.S.) president,” Zeman told the Czech community to which he introduced Kmonicek.
“Or else, he would be deprived of the delight to meet the new (U.S.) president,” Zeman added.
The Czech Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on the affair, arguing that Kmonicek did not yet have the agrement from the U.S. administration.
“Zeman has taken his step, which means that he signed the credentials,” Zeman’s spokesman Jiri Ovcacek said.
“As far as the further steps are concerned, we will not comment on the affair until the agrement is granted,” he added.
According to the Czech rules, a new ambassador is at first proposed by the foreign minister to the government and after the proposal is approved, it is passed to the president who names him.
The Czech Foreign Ministry says on its webpage that a premature publication of an ambassador’s name was not in keeping with the form of international relations and could be understood as pressure on his acceptation by the host country.
“The new ambassador to the USA can be expected to be installed next January,” Ovcacek said without elaborating.
At present, Kmonicek, 53, is director of the Presidential Office foreign affairs department. Previously, he was ambassador to Australia and India and deputy foreign minister.
In the USA, he worked as the Czech Republic’s ambassador to the United Nations.
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