Pavel to lead Czechia at next NATO summit after months-long dispute

President Petr Pavel will lead the Czech delegation at NATO's next summit in Tirana, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš confirmed Sunday, signaling an end to a months-long dispute over who should represent Czechia at the alliance's highest-level meetings.

The decision marks a sharp contrast with July's NATO summit in Ankara, when the government initially sought to exclude Pavel from the Czech delegation. The president ultimately attended only after taking the dispute to the Constitutional Court.

"Next time, we'll simply spare ourselves such controversies," Babiš told Czech Television. The next NATO summit is expected to take place in the Albanian capital in fall 2027 or early 2028, although the alliance has not yet set an exact date.

Ahead of the Ankara summit, Babiš's government planned to send a delegation without Pavel, prompting the president to file a constitutional complaint over his right to represent Czechia abroad.

The Constitutional Court subsequently issued a preliminary injunction requiring the government to ensure Pavel could attend while the broader dispute was considered.

Both Pavel and Babiš eventually traveled to Ankara, along with Foreign Minister Petr Macinka and Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna, but Babiš headed the Czech delegation. The president and prime minister traveled separately and reportedly had little interaction during the summit.

After returning, Babiš described Pavel's participation as a "disgrace" and said one lesson from the summit was that he would never again be part of a delegation with the president.

Relations have since eased. Babiš said in late August that there was no conflict between him and Pavel, while Macinka described relations between the government and president as stable.

Pavel welcomed Sunday's decision, saying presidential participation in NATO summits corresponds with established Czech practice and the president's constitutional role in representing the state abroad.

The two leaders are also set to meet Monday to discuss foreign policy coordination, including Pavel's trip to next week's UN General Assembly in New York, where he will again head the Czech delegation.

Pavel and Babiš have indicated that such meetings could now take place more regularly depending on current issues, following months in which Czechia's top constitutional officials did not formally meet to coordinate foreign policy.