National Council President Sobotka has already made 19 trips abroad this year. It would be worthy of a Minister of Foreign Affairs.
It happened again on Monday: Wolfgang Sobotka left behind tedious national political debates over golden pianos or allegations of corruption and flew away, this time to South Korea. Because it is about world politics and not trifles. The president will not only visit the 38th parallel, including the death strip, in Seoul, he will also visit the site of the mass panic on Halloween with over 150 dead.
Representation. Sobotka travels more than his predecessors – at the expense of taxes – because: In the past, the three presidents shared the trips. But this year, Sobotka alone has made 19 trips abroad, according to an analysis of parliamentary correspondence, including trips to India, Canada and Britain, where he – dressed in tweed – accompanied the King Charles III. (then still a prince) met. It’s worthy of a secretary of state. But Sobotka is more about representation: in faraway Ottawa, for example, he celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations with Canada. In Dresden, Sobotka delivered the German Unity Day speech. And in Milan he gave a prize.
Sobotka in the Prince Charles era – in tweed.
Erdoğan. It rarely really matters: Sobotka’s day was June 27, when he was in “intensive” talks with Turkish President Erdogan. And that two days before the Chancellor.
And here are his travels:
24 – 25 January Berlin/Germany
7 – 8 March Prague/Czech Republic
March 12-17 India
28.29. March Brdo/Slovenia
April 4 Prague/Czech Republic
April 25 Bern/Switzerland
May 2-3 Rome/Italy
15-17 May Jerusalem/Israel
May 22-24 London/UK
May 30 Munich/Germany
27-28 June Ankara/Turkey
18-21 July Trentino/Italy
August 25-26 Liechtenstein
September 12 Bratislava/Slovakia
Sep 25-28 Ottawa, Canada
October 3 Dresden/Germany
24 – 25 October Zagreb/Croatia
November 3 Milan/Italy
Nov. 21-25 Seoul/South Korea
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