Czech parliamentary election winner vows solidarity with Poland
Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has committed to support Poland in the event of a threat, following his party victory in the weekend's parliamentary elections.
On Saturday, after nearly all votes had been counted, Babis' populist ANO movement secured 34.66 percent of the vote, while the centre-right SPOLU coalition of incumbent Prime Minister Petr Fiala obtained 23.28 percent.
Babis declared that Poland had "always been the Czech Republic's closest partner.
"If, God forbid, anything were to happen, we will stand by Poland," he said, adding that this support also concerns Poland's eastern border.
Babis also announced his plan to contact Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk if he were to officially win the election. The topic for this meeting would be the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS2), which covers carbon dioxide emissions generated by households and transport.
"The Poles have rejected ETS2 and we must do the same," he said.
Babis also criticised the outgoing government for "burying" the Visegrad Group, a regional cooperation format comprising the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
He also pointed to Poland's economic progress, saying: "We, the Czechs, used to be the best, the Poles have overtaken us in almost everything." Babis further promised to maintain strong ties with Poland, irrespective of what party rules the country. (PAP)
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