Czech President Milos Zeman and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen have exchanged top state awards during their meeting at Prague Castle. Zeman bestowed the Order of the White Lion on Van der Bellen, while the Austrian President awarded the honorary Grand Star on Zeman. The two presidents then opened talks in the Habsburg Room, decorated with portraits of Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa and other members of the Habsburg dynasty that ruled in the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian empire until 1918.

Zeman has been saying goodbye to selected foreign leaders in recent weeks, as his second and last five-year presidential term expires on 8 March. He has a very friendly relationship with Van der Bellen, addressing him informally as “Sasha”. The two presidents previously met in Vienna in June 2021 and April 2019, and in Prague in June 2017. The Austrian President arrived in Prague by train on Wednesday, and his official program started today.

After their talks, the two presidents held a press conference followed by a joint lunch. Van der Bellen later met with Czech President-elect Petr Pavel, Czech Senate chairman Milos Vystrcil, and PM Petr Fiala to discuss further aid to Ukraine and bilateral cooperation between the Czech Republic and Austria. On Friday, Hungarian President Katalin Novak will visit the Czech Republic to say goodbye to Zeman.

Earlier this year, Zeman met Polish President Andrzej Duda in Nachod and paid his last foreign visit as president to Slovakia, also meeting President Zuzana Caputova. He also said goodbye to Serbian President Aleksander Vucic in Belgrade. On Monday, he had a video conversation with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and last week also with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. In January, he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping via a video conference.

The exchange of state awards between the Czech and Austrian Presidents highlights the close relations between the two countries. The Czech Republic and Austria share a long history and are important trading partners. Austria is also one of the most popular tourist destinations for Czechs, with over 1 million Czechs visiting Austria each year. The close ties between the two countries are expected to continue, with Zeman’s successor expected to maintain a positive relationship with Austria.

Article by Prague Forum