President Pavel gives reception for foreign ambassadors

President Petr Pavel gave a reception for foreign ambassadors on the eve of Czechoslovak Independence Day. In his address to the gathering, the president focused on the Russian war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, saying there was no justification for Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine or the terrorist actions of the radical Hamas movement in Israel. He  touched upon the role of social media, which enables the rapid spread of news, but also disinformation and deliberate lies and spoke of the irreplaceable role of diplomacy and open communication as a tool to prevent a further escalation of tension. The meeting was attended by the President's wife Eva and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. Russia’s ambassador to the Czech Republic, Alexander Zmeyevsky, was not invited to the event.