Czech president, foreign minister fly to New York for UN Security Council bid

President Petr Pavel and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka are in New York this week to seek support for Czechia’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council. Their trip to the UN General Assembly comes after months of strained relations between Prague Castle and the government.

The two left Prague on Sunday but flew separately. Pavel, who is leading the Czech delegation, traveled on a government aircraft with several Foreign Ministry officials. Macinka took a commercial flight, even though he had been welcome aboard the president’s plane, according to Prague Castle.

The Foreign Ministry said the decision reflected their different schedules. Pavel is due to leave New York for Nebraska later in the week, while Macinka has meetings in the city through Friday.

Pavel is scheduled to deliver Czechia’s national address to the General Assembly on Wednesday. He also plans bilateral meetings with leaders whose countries could support Czechia’s bid for a Security Council seat in 2032 and 2033.

“[It will be] an opportunity to get in contact with countries we might not otherwise come into contact with,” Pavel said at a briefing before his departure, according to Seznam Zprávy.

The president said his UN speech would address the need to adapt the organization to current challenges. He also intends to discuss international law and the risks associated with new technologies.

Macinka’s schedule includes nearly 20 bilateral meetings, with a focus on foreign ministers from African countries. He is also due to attend meetings with EU counterparts and representatives from India, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The separate flights have drawn attention because of earlier disagreements between Pavel and Macinka. The president’s refusal to appoint Motorists MP Filip Turek as a minister strained relations, as did a dispute over who would represent Czechia at July’s NATO summit in Turkey.

Pavel nevertheless praised the Foreign Ministry’s work in preparing this week’s trip. “I want to appreciate the cooperation with the Foreign Ministry in planning the visit to the UN,” he said before leaving Prague.

The president and foreign minister briefly spoke Friday during a visit to Prague Castle by Jordan’s King Abdullah II. No meeting between them in New York has been announced, although Pavel said he would be open to one. Their schedules may overlap during the General Assembly’s general debate, and both are staying at the same hotel.

Pavel is also expected to meet Czech expatriates during the Nebraska leg of his visit.