Pavel: The President and PM must find common ground, or the country will suffer

Czech President Petr Pavel has said that dialogue between the head of state and the prime minister is essential, warning that the entire country will suffer without it. He made the comments at the Meltingpot discussion forum in Ostrava while fielding questions about his strained relationship with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO).

Although Pavel had been warned that the Ostrava festival crowd would likely be hostile, he said the reality turned out to be quite the opposite. According to him, the visit offered a welcome break from the constant sparring playing out in the media and on social networks.

Unsurprisingly, much of the discussion centred on the fallout from the recent NATO summit in Ankara, which was overshadowed by disputes over the composition and mandate of the Czech delegation. The president stressed that his insistence on attending was driven by a commitment to constitutional practice, not stubbornness.

"The government has to respect the fact that power in the Czech Republic is divided among several institutions. Any changes should come about through agreement. No single institution can redefine its own powers outside constitutional tradition," Pavel said.

In his view, the internal squabbling has pushed pressing security issues into the background. The president explained that he insisted on attending the summit because, following earlier talks, he was not convinced that the government fully grasped these issues or was heading in the right direction.

"The good news is that, despite all the visible disagreements and criticism, NATO remains a united organisation that provides collective defence to all its members. The allies are treating the situation with great responsibility," he added.

Asked separately about the current state of communication with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Pavel described it as extremely difficult. He said he had repeatedly proposed meetings, including in writing, but the replies were either negative or simply never came.

"The president and the prime minister simply have to talk to each other — they share a great many powers. If they start acting out of spite towards one another, it's the country that will pay the price," Pavel concluded.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz