German President: “Czech-German partnership based on strong foundations”

Czech-German partnership is based on strong foundations that cannot be threatened by any political developments, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday ahead of his trip to the Czech Republic.

The German President arrived in Prague on Wednesday for a three-day official visit during which he will honour the memory of the Czechoslovak paratroopers who died in Operation Anthropoid to assassinate Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich. He has likened his visit to a “trip into the past”, highlighting that Czech-German relations were not always the best.

He will be the first German president to visit the Orthodox Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius on Resslova Street in Prague, where the paratroopers were holed up and killed or committed suicide after being surrounded by the Nazis.

Mr Steinmeier is due to dine in private with President Miloš Zeman and the First Lady at Lány chateau on Wednesday evening and be received with military honours at Prague Castle the next day. He is also due to meet with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the foreign, defence and trade ministers and speakers of both houses of Parliament.