PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech government approved a defence cooperation agreement with the United States on Wednesday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told a televised news conference.
“This is important in these unquiet times, unstable international environment, it is without doubt a step that raises the security of our country and our people,” Fiala said.
The agreement sets a framework for a potential U.S. military presence in the Czech Republic, dealing with issues from jurisdiction over foreign troops to environmental issues or rules for operating vehicles.
But the agreement does not mean any concrete decision on a U.S. military presence or setting up foreign military bases, Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said. This would be subject to a separate agreement and parliamentary approval.
She said the Czech Republic was the 25th NATO member country to conclude such an agreement.
The agreement still needs to be signed by the two sides and ratified by Czech parliament, she said.
(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; editing by John Stonestreet and Alex Richardson)
