Czech President offers to send troops to Poland-Belarus border

Prague, Nov 23 (CTK) - President Miloš Zeman has offered Polish President Andrzej Duda the immediate deployment of Czech soldiers at the Polish border with Belarus.

Zeman told Duda that the Czech government can decide to send soldiers to the Polish border for 60 days if commitments from international treaties on joint defense make it necessary to do so.

However, constitutional lawyer Jan Kysela is of the view that the deployment of Czech soldiers abroad is more in the power of the Czech parliament than the government.

PM Andrej Babis (ANO) said that the Czech Republic is prepared to send police officers to Poland, and possibly also soldiers, but their deployment would require the consent of both houses of Czech parliament.

Poland has been facing a migration crisis at its border with Belarus for several weeks, with Polish and EU representatives agreeing the situation has been created by the Belarusian regime.

Zeman wrote that the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border has been caused by the "evil intentions of those who do not hesitate to abuse the fate of others to their own ends."

"The border that you are so courageously defending is not just the border of the Polish Republic, but also the border of the European Union and of a NATO member state," Zeman said, arguing all EU and NATO members have a duty to react and offer aid.

The Czech Republic is prepared to send soldiers to defend the Polish border if Poland desires this aid and if legal conditions are met, Zeman wrote, adding that the troops are ready for immediate transfer.

Under the Czech constitution, the government can send soldiers abroad for 60 days to fulfil commitments relating to international treaties on joint defense, participation in peacekeeping operations, or aid in rescue works after natural disasters or other similar crises.

Warsaw has not yet commented on Czech offers of police or military assistance. A debate about the migrant crisis is taking place between Visegrád Four leaders including the Czech and Polish Prime Ministers in Budapest today.