Qatari Emir ends his visit to Czechia prematurely

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has ended his visit to Czechia prematurely after Brussels didn’t approve his attendance at Thursday’s summit of the European Political Community platform. The Qatari sheik arrived for a two-day official visit to Czechia on Wednesday and held talks with President Miloš Zeman and Prime Minister Petr Fiala. On Thursday he was supposed to meet with participants of the EU summit.

According to Deník N, the sheik wanted to become an official participant in the summit and attend a gala dinner for about 50 political leaders. He reportedly left before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, after his request was turned down by EU leaders, despite efforts from the Czech side to find a compromise.

According to a source from the Castle, the Emir's early departure will not jeopardize relations with Czechia or the concluded agreements on economic cooperation.