President Petr Pavel met with the leadership of the Czech counterintelligence agency, headed by its director Michal Koudelka, on Tuesday.

The current security situation is the worst since World War II, the head of the Czech Counter Intelligence Service (BIS) Michal Koudelka said following a meeting with President Pavel on Tuesday.

He said Russian expansionism and the possible return of Islamic terrorism to Europe are major threats to European democracies.

“We cannot underestimate the risk, although we do not have any concrete information about a direct security threat to the Czech Republic,” Koudelka said.

The focus of the meeting was the security landscape and potential threats, particularly from Russia and China, whose actions have long concerned the BIS.

Moje návštěva v sídle BIS znamená především obnovení standardních vztahů mezi prezidentem a
bezpečnostními službami, jak je to běžné i v jiných demokratických zemích. V následujících měsících postupně navštívím všechny služby. S ředitelem Koudelkou i s vedením BIS jsme jednali o… pic.twitter.com/vvFy4BfgJQ

— Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) March 26, 2024

Koudelka highlighted the looming threat of a resurgence of Islamic terrorism in Europe. He also mentioned the challenge of illegal migration to Europe, although the BIS lacks specific intelligence on current threats.

President Pavel said it was likely that the security situation would become even more complicated in the months to come.

He praised the work of Czechia’s intelligence services saying they provide objective information and analyses unencumbered by political bias.

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more