Petr Pavel, who was sworn in as Czech president last Thursday, has begun his visit to Warsaw. The main topics of the talks between him and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda are to be the situation in Ukraine, the future of the European Union and NATO, as well as bilateral relations.

Marcin Przydacz, head of the Presidential Office for International Policy, stressed that Pavel is an experienced diplomat and military officer, which would make Russian aggression against Ukraine and preparations for the NATO summit in Vilnius in July natural topics of conversation.

Przydacz stressed that the leaders of Poland and the Czech Republic understand perfectly well that the continuation of the policy of deterring Russia is a guarantee of the Alliance’s security.

Presidents Duda and Pavel will also discuss the development of bilateral relations, including economic ties, as both countries are key trading partners for each other.

In the evening, Pavel, who arrived in Warsaw with his wife, will take part in a gala dinner hosted by the Polish presidential couple. Earlier, he will meet with the Speakers of the Sejm and Senate – Elżbieta Witek and Tomasz Grodzki, respectively, and on Friday morning with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

According to the Czech side, also on Friday, President Pavel will visit the headquarters of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, located in Warsaw. He will then travel to Rzeszów, southern Poland, to see how the Polish-American logistics hub for aid directed to Ukraine operates.

Warsaw is the second capital, after Bratislava, visited by the Czech president.