Czech PM welcomes reelection of Donald Tusk European Council president

The Czech Republic has welcomed the re-election of Donald Tusk European Council president. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka who supported his bid for re-election said Prague appreciated the fact that Mr. Tusk had worked well with the Czech Republic and had a good understanding of the problems and priorities of the Central European region. The Czech leader nonetheless noted that Prague’s support for Donald Tusk –in the face of Polish opposition -should not be interpreted as a rift within the Visegrad Four group. As regards the migrant crisis Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka dismissed the idea of cutting European funds to member states that refuse to accept migrant quotas. Along with a number of Central and Eastern European countries, the Czech Republic has been reluctant to join the programme relocating some 120,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece. From its quota of 2691 persons, the Czech Republic has only accepted 12.