President Pavel says Czechia has no intention of leaving UN

President Pavel has rejected the idea that Czechia should leave the UN over Friday’s resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East.

The statement came in reaction to a weekend post on social networks by Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová who stated that, in her opinion, Czechia has no business in an organisation that sides with terrorists and does not respect the basic right to self-defence.

President Pavel said that the Czech Republic wants to remain an active international player and seek solutions to the challenges of the present day, such as protection of human rights, sustainable development, climate change and others. Moreover, he said Czechia has long supported the reform of the United Nations, including that of the Security Council, and wants to be part of this endeavor, which can only be done from within the organization.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Sunday that while he understands the defense minister's indignation over the UN’s failure to condemn Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel, there can be no question of Czechia walking out of the organization in protest. He said the Czech Republic will stand by its convictions and try to win over others by the strength of its arguments.

Czechia was one of 14 countries who on Friday voted against the UN resolution calling for an immediate "durable and sustained humanitarian truce" in Gaza. Justifying the decision, the Czech ambassador to the UN, Jakub Kulhánek, said the text does not recognise Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens against terrorism, lacks a demand for the release of hostages and does not include a clear condemnation of Hamas' attack against Israel.