Will Trump abandon Europe? Top Czech officials meet to discuss global security
Top officials met at Prague Castle on Monday to discuss the foreign policy and security developments of Europe and the world. President Pavel acknowledged that Czechia desires a close alliance with the United States, but that Europe must also be prepared for a scenario in which the continent has to rely on itself.
President Petr Pavel called the meeting with Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Speaker of the House Marketa Pekarova Adamová, President of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, and Defense Minister Jana Černochová because of the unprecedentedly fast developments in foreign policy and security not only in Europe but also in the world.
The last time they met was in mid-December, when they discussed the war in Ukraine, but also the conflicts in Syria and Lebanon. The politicians also discussed the impact that the new US administration of President Donald Trump will have on the overall foreign policy and security situation.
"We are facing unprecedentedly rapid dynamic developments, both in foreign policy and in security policy in Europe and the world. We all perceive many contradictory statements that would have seemed impossible just a few weeks ago. We must respond to these developments," said President Pavel.
According to the president, security matters should not be subject to party politics, but should instead be for the betterment of the entire country.
“Our land will not be secure only when we have professionally functional military units, but when we all believe that our security is our problem and our responsibility, because only with the support of the public will we be able to build a resilient nation.”
"Given the change in the United States' position on a number of important issues, we need to pay much more attention to our own capabilities—both in Czechia, the European Union and the whole of Europe," Pavel added.
According to the head of state, Czechia is ready to work intensively with countries that think similarly to preserve its defense capabilities.
"Our preference will be to continue to work in close alliance with the United States and to maintain a functioning transatlantic link. But on the other hand, we should be prepared for a scenario where we are left alone in this," the president warned.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala called for negotiations on the security of Czechia across government parties and the opposition.
"In this difficult situation, we should do everything we can to ensure that all key political forces reach a consensus on how to strengthen our security, which direction to take, and the need to increase the funding for defense."
Fiala stressed that it’s acceptable to have different political views but that the country cannot afford to be divided over matters of security:
“I think that we can argue about whether we should have higher or lower taxes, what kind of reforms we should enact, but we shouldn’t have such divided discussions about the security of our country.”
President Pavel added that Czechia would continue to support peace efforts in Ukraine, but the kind that would not reward the aggressor and would take into account the fact that Ukraine had been invaded.
"It is in our immediate security interest to establish peace, as fair as possible for Ukraine. It is also for this reason that our support for Ukraine will continue, both bilaterally and collectively with states that still support Ukraine," he stressed.
European Union heads of state and government also gathered in Brussels on Thursday for an emergency summit where they agreed that the EU should quickly find the money to strengthen its own defense and security. But they could not find unanimous agreement on further support for Ukraine. Twenty-six states signed up, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán opposing.
