Czech President Pavel and his wife Eva headed to Bellevue Castle on Tuesday morning, where met with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender, who reside here. Steinmeier welcomed Pavel with military honors. The statesmen listened to the anthems of both countries, and Pavel subsequently entered the memorial book.
“Thank you very much, Mr. President, for coming to the Federal Republic of Germany after you took office,” said the German president after the meeting. According to him, the fact that Pavel arrived in Germany so soon after his inauguration shows how strong the relationship between the two countries is.
Steinmeier mentioned that talked with Pavel about the big challenges that Europe is currently facing, mainly about the war in Ukraine. The German president called it a war with terrible consequences. “We cannot hide from the fact that Russia destroyed the peaceful order in Europe with its attack,” Steinmeier pointed out.
???????? President Petr Pavel is currently visiting Bellevue Castle at the invitation of ???????? President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Both presidents appreciated bilateral and cross-border relations and cooperation in aid to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/wMGtsYw3hy
— czechembassyberlin (@czechembassybe1) March 21, 2023
“This war of Russia against Ukraine has put our two countries, our alliance, in front of new challenges. We can handle these challenges,” is convinced by the German president, who thanked the Czech Republic for standing up for Ukraine and for leading the international NATO combat mission in Slovakia, which also includes German soldiers.
Pavel thanked the German side for organizing his visit so flexibly and followed up on the details of the conversation about Ukraine. “I am convinced that countries like Germany can play a decisive role at this moment,” said the Czech president.
According to Pavel, the importance of the role of countries in Central and Eastern Europe is growing and “a new dynamic is emerging”, but he would not like it if there was some rivalry within Europe. “That’s the exact opposite of what we’re supposed to do,” he said. Finally, he invited Steinmeier to visit the Czech Republic in the second half of this year.
He hit the barrel with his own hand
Even on Monday evening, Petr Pavel and his wife Eva walked through the streets of Berlin, probably accompanied by the Czech ambassador in Berlin, Tomáš Kafka, according to the photo. In addition, he managed to bump into a barrel of beer in the capital of Germany. “Beer for dinner doesn’t tap itself,” wrote the president on his Instagram video.
“We welcome Mr. President Petr Pavel and Mrs. Eva Pavlova to Berlin and look forward to their program tomorrow, including with President Steinmeier, Chancellor Scholz and other meetings!” the Czech embassy in Berlin welcomed him on Twitter a little earlier on Monday.
Also according to Monday’s Twitter post, Petr Pavel would prefer to go on foreign visits on a motorcycle. “If only foreign trips could be completed like this,” he stated to the photo with the motorcycle.
“This plus a presidential carriage with a bedroom, a study and a motorbike garage for stylish, eco-friendly and above all economical trips around Europe.” the National Economic Council of the Government (NERV) commented on Pavlo’s Twitter post with a motorbike.
Originally, the president was supposed to go to another neighboring country by car, but in the end he chose a plane. Pavel also chose this means of transport when visiting Poland. Traveling by government special was not new for him. He had flown with him before with Prime Minister Petr Nečas or Miloš Zeman, he said during a visit to Poland.
On the contrary, the president went to Slovakia by car. Earlier, the president announced that he wanted to use train transport more.
“Flannel Revolution” at the Berlin Wall Memorial
After the meeting with the German president, Pavel came to the Berlin Wall Memorial on Tuesday, where he toured the Documentation Center and visited the observation tower. A solemn wreath-laying ceremony took place outside.
At the Berlin Wall, Pavel also met Czech compatriots. “With which nation is it easy? I think it’s the same everywhere,” said Pavel to one of his compatriots about the Czechs. Another compared Pavel’s election victory to the Velvet Revolution. “We called it the flannel revolution,” laughed Pavlova.
He also met compatriots in Poland, which he described as pleasant. He also received a gift there – the “Polish” compatriots gave Pavlo a book with a flannel cover, which contained a bottle of vodka, a sharpened pencil, a scarf with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle logo and an educational CD with Polish lessons. Czech compatriots in Germany did not prepare a gift for Pavel this time, Blesk Zpráv reporter found out.
Subsequently, the Czech president drove to the building of the Czech embassy in Berlin. Around one o’clock in the afternoon lunch with the Czech ambassador in Berlin Tomáš Kafka. According to Blesk Zpráv information, he will have a choice of two dishes, one of which is a pork doll.
Until now, the first lady had a program in common with Pavel, but in the afternoon he will go for a walk, to an exhibition and to a cafe with an employee of the Czech embassy. Pavel will give an interview to a German daily. He should also discuss foreign and security policy with the opposition conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
They will discuss (not only) security issues with Scholz
“With his early visit to Berlin at the very beginning of his mandate, Pavel is sending a completely positive signal,” CDU deputy Knut Abraham stated earlier. “Prague and Berlin have a very similar view of the complex situation in Europe, which is affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he said in a statement. He noted that he appreciates Pavlo’s interest in cross-border cooperation, including at the regional level. “The federal government should welcome the Czech president with open arms,” he added.
The new Czech president was also invited by the German Society for Foreign Policy (DGAP), where he will meet with politicians, senior officials and German journalists.
Then, for half an hour, Pavel will meet with former federal president Joachim Gauck.
And after Gauck, the Czech president will arrive at the Chancellery building around six-thirty, where he will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. “The topics will be the security situation with regard to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but also international, European and bilateral issues,” Hebestreit said. Then Pavel will move to the Embassy of the Czech Republic and talk to the press.
Pavel will go to Germany again in May, when he promised Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder a meeting in Selb as part of the Bavarian-Czech celebrations. On the occasion of the Bavarian-Czech friendship weeks, they will last 12 weeks from May 19 to August 6. The event is held as a symbol of the past successes of the cross-border development of the regions of Bavaria and the Czech Republic, cultural events are planned on both sides of the border.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was also in Germany on Monday, with whom Petr Pavel also met on Friday, March 17. In Heidelberg, he strongly warned against the defeat of Ukraine and the victory of Putin, because, according to him, it would cripple Europe and its ideals. He also mentioned the controversial topic of Poland’s demand for the payment of war reparations from Germany.
