Diplomatic Dilemma: Czech President Gives Obama Ultimatum

Czech President Milos Zeman will meet with the US Ambassador only if Barack Obama receives the head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Washington, according to a representative of the Czech Presidential Administration.

Czech President Milos Zeman is ready to meet with US ambassador Andrew Shapiro in Prague only after US President Barack Obama receives Czech Ambassador Petr Gandalovic in the White House in Washington, representative of the Czech Presidential Administration Hynek Kmonícek said according to Czech radio "Impulse".

"Like any other ambassador in Prague, Ambassador Shapiro has to have a really big and important excuse to have a tete-a-tete meeting with the Czech President," Kmonícek said.

According to him, there is no such excuse at the moment. However, "if President Obama would receive Ambassador Gandalovic tomorrow, President Zeman would then arrange a meeting with Ambassador Shapiro," the official said.

The Czech President previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that Shapiro criticized his trip to Moscow to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism. He said that he could not imagine a situation where the Czech ambassador would advise an American president in such a way.

"I won’t allow any ambassadors to interfere with any advice about my trips abroad," Zeman said. "I am afraid that after such a declaration the doors of Prague Castle are closed for Ambassador Shapiro," he added.