Office of the President confirms Pavel will fly to Ankara summit on government aircraft on Tuesday

Petr Pavel will depart on Tuesday morning aboard a government aircraft from the military airport in Prague–Kbely to Ankara for a NATO summit, the Office of the President confirmed today. A briefing is scheduled for 08:30 prior to departure. According to Czech News Agency information, the government special carrying a delegation consisting of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists), and Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (for SPD) is due to depart from the same airport shortly before the president’s flight.

A dispute over participation in the NATO summit between the government and the president has lasted for several months. The cabinet initially did not include Pavel in the delegation, prompting the president to file a competence lawsuit. In a preliminary ruling, the Constitutional Court ordered the government to ensure the head of state’s participation.