dp
An obscure domestic political row bursted into the international arena on Tuesday when the Czech Republic dispatched two competing delegations to the NATO summit in Ankara.
First to land, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his entourage were welcomed in Ankara by Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat. Not long after that, a second Czech government aircraft touched down, bringing President Petr Pavel. He was greeted by Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
The Czech government did not explain why the two men couldn’t travel together, despite setting off from the same airport in Prague less than an hour apart.
Personal animosity likely played a major role. Pavel and Babiš have been locked in a dispute over the summit for months. Czech delegations to NATO have traditionally included both the country’s prime minister as the head of government and the president as the head of state.
But last month, Babiš banned Pavel from attending the summit, prompting Pavel to launch a lawsuit with the Czech Constitutional Court. The court issued an injunction, effectively ordering Babiš to allow Pavel to go.
Officially, the prime minister said he needed more “space” to negotiate and to explain why the Czech Republic is one of just three NATO countries not meeting the current defense spending targets.
But the two men have clashed over multiple issues, including the government’s decision to cut defense spending as well as Pavel’s refusal to appoint a controversial anti-establishment, right-wing politician into Babiš’s government.
By attempting to stop the president from attending the summit, Babiš was clearly trying to hit where it would hurt, as NATO has for years been Pavel’s home turf. A retired general, Pavel previously served as chair of NATO’s Military Committee, one of the alliance’s top positions.
