Foreign Ministry proposes creating position of government commissioner for Ukraine’s reconstruction

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is set to suggest the establishment of a government commissioner for Ukraine’s reconstruction, proposing that the current Deputy Defence Minister for Industrial Cooperation Tomáš Kopečný takes up the position, the Czech News Agency reported on Friday. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský refused to confirm for now whether Mr Kopečný is indeed the suggested man, but said that the position would require someone with good coordination abilities who would be able to both help Ukraine and maximise opportunities for Czech companies.

News site Aktuálně.cz reported that Tomáš Kopečný has been one of the chief movers in organising military assistance to Ukraine. Mr Kopečný has been deputy defence minister since January 2020, but said that he will now leave the position because he received an offer he can’t refuse, the news site reported.