Czech far-right’s attempt to block defence agreement with the US failed

The Czech-US defence agreement was widely backed by parliament on Wednesday, surviving a pro-Russian disinformation campaign the Czech far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (ID affiliated) stood behind.

Following a long debate on Wednesday, the treaty for the Czech-US defence deal was backed by MPs from the governing coalition and the vast majority of ANO politicians (Renew). Only Freedom and Direct Democracy were against, together with three MPs from ANO.

“This is not a cooperation treaty between the Czech Republic and the US, but it is essentially a unilateral treaty on the future US military presence in the Czech Republic,” the leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy Party, Tomio Okamura said during the parliamentary debate, echoing a disinformation campaign triggered by pro-Russian forces.

Setting the record straight, Defence Minister Jana Černochová (ODS) said the agreement does not give the US armed forces the right to stay on Czech territory. The stay would always have to be approved by the government or parliament, and then the legal status of US troops would be governed by the defence treaty, she added.

The agreement will now be examined in the relevant parliamentary committees and face another vote in the Chamber of Deputies.

The government approved the roughly Czech-US defence treaty in April this year and Defence Minister Černochová signed it in Washington in May.

The roughly 40-page document, for which ratification is still pending, deals with many areas related to the possible presence of US troops in the Czech Republic or cooperation between US and Czech armed forces on Czech territory.

The agreement covers several sub-areas, including jurisdiction over US troops, liability for damages caused by them, exemption from customs duties and taxes, hiring of local personnel, conditions of operation of motor vehicles and logistical support.

Still, the agreement does not allow US armed forces to act with impunity on Czech soil.

(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)