Czech FM praises Marco Rubio’s speech in Munich, holds bilateral meetings with foreign leaders

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka praised the speech delivered by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference, calling it “civilizational” and saying he would sign every word of it.

Mr. Macinka welcomed the fact that the US Secretary of State had spoken openly about past mistakes, including mistakes in migration policy and green policy.

While welcoming Washington’s intention to maintain good relations and cooperation with Europe, the Czech head of diplomacy emphasized that Europe should become more self-sufficient and not rely on the United States in so many areas. He said Europe “must stop harming itself” by abandoning what he described as unnecessary policies, particularly those that damage the European economy and industry. According to him, greater prosperity would also enable European countries to better meet their commitments stemming from NATO membership.

Foreign Minister Macinka is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference. He met with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, assuring her that budget cuts at his ministry would not affect support for the Belarusian opposition.

Later on Saturday, he is due to meet with German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. Germany is key to Czech European policy, Macinka said, welcoming what he described as Germany’s shifting stance on energy, industry and migration. He added that the Czech Republic wants to discuss these issues with Berlin and express its support.