Zeman to meet foreign minister candidate on Thursday

Czech President Miloš Zeman will meet with the Social Democrat candidate for foreign minister, Jakub Kulhánek, at 1pm on Thursday at the former’s Lány residency, the president’s spokesman Jiri Ovčáček stated on Wednesday.

Mr. Kulhánek, who is currently deputy interior minister, was proposed as a replacement for Tomáš Petříček by the Social Democrats after Culture Minister Lubomír Zaorálek refused to take the position.

It is known that President Zeman and Mr. Petříček were occasionally at odds about the direction of Czech foreign policy. Asked about how the president views Mr. Kulhánek, Social Democrat Deputy Chairman Roman Onderka stated that he is not aware of any reservations.

It is customary for President Zeman to meet with ministerial candidates before they are appointed.