Czech government must ensure Pavel's attendance at NATO…

Czech government must ensure Pavel's attendance at NATO summit

24.06.2026 18:00 HotInfo

On Wednesday, the Czech Constitutional Court issued a preliminary measure ordering the government to ensure President Petr Pavel's attendance at the July summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in Ankara. The decision concerns a dispute over the representation of the Czech Republic at the NATO meeting, with the court, according to available information, basing its ruling on established practice. hnonline.sk ↗

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš stated that he respects the court's decision, although he described it as unusually swift. He published his position on the social network X. Reactions also came from other Czech politicians. Interior Minister Vít Rakušan spoke of a test, while Tomio Okamura mentioned bias on the part of the judges. Opposition politicians viewed the decision as confirmation that the president should be present at the summit. irozhlas.cz ↗

The NATO summit in Ankara is scheduled to take place in July and will be part of the allies' regular talks on security policy. In connection with the event, Turkish security forces carried out operations against suspected members of the so-called Islamic State ahead of the summit. During one of the operations in Ankara, a suspected member of the organization was killed in a shootout with police. hnonline.sk ↗

Further developments will depend on how the government implements the preliminary measure and how it ensures the president's trip to the summit. The court's decision also opens up a broader discussion about constitutional customs regarding the representation of the state at top-level international negotiations. denik.cz ↗