Czech President Petr Pavel and PM Andrej Babis split at NATO summit in Ankara

At the NATO summit in Ankara, the Czech Republic was represented by two separate delegations after a months‑long dispute over who should attend. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš initially announced that only his government team would go, excluding President Petr Pavel. Pavel appealed to the Constitutional Court, which issued an injunction allowing his participation. Both leaders arrived in Ankara on different state aircraft and were photographed apart in the summit’s official family photo, underscoring the internal political rift.

Despite the disagreement, both Pavel and Babiš attended the summit’s informal dinner, where Pavel sat with leaders from Albania, Estonia, Croatia and Belgium, while Babiš arrived with his wife Monika Babišová, who also took part in the accompanying spouses’ program. The episode drew criticism from opposition parties and commentators, who described the Czech delegation as a “parasitic” presence on NATO’s security stage and warned that the split could harm the country’s image within the alliance.