Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis, left, meets Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (Ondrej Deml/CTK via AP)
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on May 20 that Czech President Milos Zeman had apologized to the Serbian people for the bombing of FR Yugoslavia in 1999 in his own name, as a citizen.
"It was definitely not an easy moment for him, he apologized as Milos Zeman, a citizen. I understand that the decision [to approve the NATO air strikes] was not easy for him," Prime Minister Babis said.
The Czech prime minister also said that he discussed Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's two-day visit to Prague and vaccination against Covid-19 with Zeman during a surprise meeting.
In 2019, Zeman announced during a visit to Belgrade that he intended to motion for the withdrawal of the Czech Republic's recognition of Kosovo, even though the Czech government's stance was already clearly negative. According to the country's constitution the Czech government is the sole creator of foreign policy while the president does not have these authorities. This stirred up a controversy in the country among other things because it gave Serbia false hope.
To get full access to all content of interest see our
Subscription offer
Or
Register for free
And read up to 5 articles each month.
Already have an account? Please Log in.