An unusual domestic political dispute spilled onto the international stage on Tuesday, as the Czech Republic sent two separate and rival delegations to the NATO Summit in Ankara, according to CNN.
The first delegation, led by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, arrived in Ankara and was welcomed by Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat. Shortly afterward, a second Czech government aircraft landed carrying President Petr Pavel, who was received by Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
The Czech government did not explain why the prime minister and president traveled separately, despite departing from the same airport in Prague less than an hour apart.
The split appears to reflect a long-running personal and political rivalry between Babiš and Pavel. The two have been at odds for months over the NATO summit. Traditionally, Czech delegations to NATO summits include both the prime minister, as head of government, and the president, as head of state.
Last month, however, Babiš attempted to prevent Pavel from attending the summit, prompting the president to file a complaint with the Czech Constitutional Court. The court issued an interim ruling that effectively required the government to allow Pavel to participate.
Officially, Babiš argued that he needed more “room” to negotiate and explain why the Czech Republic is among only three NATO members that have yet to meet the alliance’s current defense spending targets.
The two leaders have also clashed over several domestic issues, including government defense spending cuts and Pavel’s refusal to appoint a controversial right-wing, anti-establishment politician to Babiš’s cabinet.
Babiš’s effort to block the president’s attendance was widely seen as targeting one of Pavel’s strongest areas of expertise. A retired general, Pavel previously served as Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, one of the alliance’s highest-ranking military positions.
