On Thursday, Prime Minister Petr Fiala welcomed more than forty politicians to Prague Castle. In his opening speech, he called on them to continue to support Ukraine in its war against an aggressive Russia while condemning the referendums in the occupied regions. In addition to the war in Ukraine, Thursday’s informal summit is expected to focus on energy and security issues.
Politicians from 45 countries have arrived for the first-ever meeting of the more comprehensive European format, the so-called European Political Community (EPC), held at Prague Castle. Among them are French President Emmanuel Macron, his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and British Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss.
At the opening ceremony, Fiala highlighted the motto on the standard presidential flying at the Castle: “Truth wins.”
At the same time, the Czech Prime Minister called on the politicians present to persevere in their support for Ukraine.
On the agenda of the bilateral meeting
On Thursday, politicians will participate in several roundtable discussions, and there will also be space for bilateral meetings. Fiala said the summit is not intended to create a new European institution but only to let countries’ leaders informally discuss Europe’s current problems.
“The point is simple: to have a frank discussion about common interests but also to talk about controversial issues,” Fiala said. In addition to the war, the topic should include migration and the related security of Europe, rising inflation, and high energy prices.
In connection with energy prices, he recalled the dependence of European countries on Russia and its raw materials.
“There is a need to deal with the transition to sustainable energy, but also to invest in security and defense and to deal with illegal migration. These are the things that take away our energy and weaken us in global competition,” the Czech Prime Minister added.