Zeman will be accompanied by his wife Ivana and a delegation of Czech business people. Zeman will start his trip to the Middle East and the Arabic Peninsula Monday when he arrives in Amman, the capital of Jordan. The official program is scheduled for Tuesday.
Zeman will meet representatives of the mission of Czech doctors, who were sent to the country to help Syrian refugees, and attend a reception hosted by the Czech ambassador and the Czech-Jordanian business seminar. In the afternoon, Zeman will see the UNESCO-listed Petra town famous for its rock-cut architecture. On Wednesday, Zeman will meet supreme representatives of the Kingdom of Jordan, including King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour. At the end of the visit, Zeman will pay homage to the Jordanian kings in the mausoleum.
The head of the Presidential Office protocol section said Zeman had prepared a surprise for the visit that he would present during the trip. He will also point out "less visible" historical relations between the Czech Republic and Jordan. Zeman will land in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, Wednesday evening.
On Thursday afternoon, Zeman will officially open the new seat of the Czech diplomatic mission and have lunch with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Zeman is also to meet a representative of the country's government. Similar to Jordan, Zeman will attend a business seminar and a ceremonial reception hosted by the Czech ambassador to the UAE.
Zeman will end his visit to the Arab countries Friday when he will go to the Hidaya anti-terrorist center and look round the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and a local mausoleum. His wife Ivana will travel with him this time, unlike his trips to China, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan in October and November. The last time she accompanied him was to Paris in September 2014.
Ovčáček said Zeman would discuss security issues mainly related to the Islamic State with the representatives of Jordan and the UAE.
Zeman has long criticized the Islamic State calling it the world's main danger. Jordan and the UAE have joined the operations against its radicals.
Zeman also wants to speak about a peaceful solution to the situation in the region in connection with the Syrian crisis and about the results of the "Arab Spring," Ovčáček added.
He said economic issues should also be on the agenda of the visits. The UAE is a financial gate to three-quarters of economic relations in the area and Jordan is an important factor of stabilization in the region, he added.
Prague Post