Prague to Host Mayor NATO Meeting This May

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague in May, Seznam Zprávy reported.

The news site said the size of the event was reflected in the CZK 100 million budget that had been set aside for it.

The gathering will be the biggest NATO event in Prague since a summit in 2002 and comes as Czechia marks 25 years of membership and the alliance marks 75 years of existence.

The foreign, defense, and interior ministries are set to contribute financially to the event.

“We are operating with a budget of CZK 100 million, although the final amount is yet to be determined,” stated Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Wernerová to Seznam Zprávy.

The Czech Foreign Ministry highlighted the nation’s commitment to NATO’s political cohesion, emphasizing the meeting’s symbolic importance in today’s global security context.

“The decision to join the Euro-Atlantic structures and the subsequent anchoring of the Czech Republic in NATO represents one of the most historically important steps in the Czech Republic’s independent history. Its significance is truly appreciated today,” the ministry noted.

The meetings will take place at the Czernin Palace, the Foreign Ministry’s seat, and at Prague Castle.

Czechia, Hungary and Poland joined NATO on March 12, 1999.

The 2002 Prague summit was held at the Prague Congress Centre where the heads of state and government of the NATO member states met.

Seven states at the summit were invited there to begin accession talks with NATO: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.