Europe

French president says Czech help vital in anti-terror fight

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman, right, welcomes his French counterpart Francois Hollande, left, at the Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) (The Associated Press)

French President Francois Hollande arrives at the Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) (The Associated Press)

Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman, right, welcomes his French counterpart Francois Hollande, left, at the Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) (The Associated Press)

France President Francois Hollande says his country is thankful to the Czech Republic for its help in the fight against terrorism.

Hollande said through a translator after meeting Czech President Milos Zeman on Wednesday that sharing information and coordinating police activities were particularly important because the Czech Republic is a "transit zone."

Hollande didn't elaborate. But Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka says extremists have traveled to Western countries through Czech territory.

Sobotka also says one of the suspects linked to the terror attacks in Paris last year previously had been in the Czech Republic.

Hollande says he and Zeman agreed to intensify their cooperation on nuclear energy, which both countries rely heavily on. The Czech Republic is planning to build new reactors.