Prime Minister Fiala met his predecessors in Kramář’s villa
Update: 02/01/2023 19:24
Issued by: 02/01/2023, 19:00
Prague – Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) met with nine of his predecessors as Prime Minister in the Kramář Villa in Prague early this evening. He invited them and their entourage to a festive dinner on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the independent Czech Republic. According to the government office, the first official Prime Minister, Josef Tošovský, and former Social Democratic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka apologized for the event. In the evening, the actors of the meeting will take part in a concert in the Rudolfinum, which the government office prepared in cooperation with the Czech Philharmonic.
Fiala described the event in Kramář’s villa as special. “It’s not about us discussing any specific topics, I think we would definitely disagree on a number of political issues. Let’s not forget that many of the former prime ministers are each other’s political rivals, some of us are even current political rivals,” he told journalists. In addition to the celebration of 30 years since the creation of the independent Czech Republic, the meeting is intended to show that the common interest of the Czech Republic stands above political rivalry and disputes. “That we are able to sit down at the same table and talk at such a festive moment. I think that’s the value already,” said Fiala.
The former acting Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok noted upon arrival that they had mostly not seen their female colleagues for a very long time. “I think that despite all the political strife and differences, at the end of the day, everyone cares about our country,” he said.
Some former prime ministers walked from their cars to the villa through the gate. In addition to Rusnok, they also included Petr Nečas and former social democratic prime ministers Jiří Paroubek and Vladimír Špidla. Other former prime ministers arrived in cars right in front of the entrance to the building. Former president Václav Klaus and current president Miloš Zeman, ANO chairman Andrej Babiš and Mirek Topolánek were among them. Klaus and Topolánek were at the head of governments as chairmen of the ODS, Zeman as chair of the ČSSD.
Fiala is the 13th premiere during the existence of an independent Czech Republic. He leads the 16th cabinet in order. The trio of former prime ministers resigned after two governments. Former Social Democratic Prime Minister Stanislav Gross died in 2015.
For dinner, veal tenderloin, mushroom puree, zucchini and albufera sauce were served as the main course. Before that, participants could enjoy burrata with fruit, fennel, basil pesto, balsamic reduction and herb oil. Dessert was Pavlova with raspberry sorbet, berries and whipped cream. White and red wine, beer, coffee and tea were available to drink.
In addition to Fiala, his Slovak counterpart Eduard Heger and representatives of the Czech government will take part in the evening concert at the Rudolfinum. The representatives of both parliamentary chambers, Miloš Vystrčil and Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and other guests will also sit among the audience.
The Czech Republic was established on January 1, 1993 after the division of the common state of Czechs and Slovaks. The first day of January is a public holiday in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Fiala stated that even then, as a political scientist, he was convinced that there was no other way than the disintegration of Czechoslovakia. “Regardless of what kind of relationship we had with Czechoslovakia, how we looked at it. That situation led to two nations going their separate ways,” he noted. He appreciated that the division was peaceful. “And ultimately it led to the fact that the relations between the two countries, the two societies, are extraordinary,” he added.