Foreign ministers of the six earliest EU accession countries (Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Belgium, France and the Netherlands). (File photo)
The Czech Republic said on Sunday (April 18) after announcing the expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats that it had notified NATO and the EU of Russia’s alleged involvement in the 2014 explosion of a Czech ammunition depot. The Czech Republic said EU foreign ministers will discuss the alleged Russian link to the Czech ammunition depot explosion at a meeting on Monday.
In announcing the expulsion of Russian diplomats on Saturday, the Czech Republic said its side suspects Russian intelligence agencies were involved in an ammunition depot explosion that occurred in 2014. The blast killed two Czechs.
Reuters reports that the European Union’s executive committee on Sunday confirmed a tweet sent by acting Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek. Hamacek’s tweet said the Czech-Russian dispute will be discussed at a video conference of EU foreign ministers on Monday.
In response to the expulsion, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian media Saturday that “Prague is well aware of what the consequences of this are.”
Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council (upper house) of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, as saying that the Prague side’s accusations were absurd and that Russia should react reciprocally.
In November 1989, a democratic movement broke out in the then Czechoslovak Republic, ending the one-party dictatorship of the Communist Party and introducing a democratic system. in January 1993, Czechoslovakia was dissolved into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Both countries were admitted to the European Union at the same time on April 16, 2003.
Observers have noted that the Czech expulsion of Russian diplomats and accusations of Russia’s alleged involvement in the 2014 ammunition depot bombing sparked the most bitter dispute between the Czech Republic and Russia since the end of communist rule in 1989. The former Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact member states occupied Czechoslovakia in August 1968 and remained there until the end of communist rule in Eastern Europe in 1989.
On the other hand, Czech police say they are searching for two men in connection with the bombings. The two men are believed to have been in the Czech Republic in the days leading up to the 2014 bombings. The two men were in possession of Russian passports at the time, with the passport names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.
CNN reported that Czech police added that the two men were known to hold various passports, including Russian passports with Petrov and Boshirov’s names on them.
Earlier, British prosecutors accused Petrov and Bochilov of being linked to the 2018 poisoning of Russian spies Skripal’s father and daughter in the small British city of Salisbury. Russia has denied the British allegations.
The U.S. and Britain have taken a stand on the latest Czech-Russian dispute, and they stand with the Czech Republic. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted Sunday that Britain fully supports our Czech ally. Raab’s tweet added that the Czech Republic “has exposed the GRU’s attempts to spare no effort in carrying out dangerous and malicious actions. GRU (GRU) refers to the General Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
The U.S. Embassy in Prague said in a statement Saturday that Washington appreciates the Czech Republic’s “significant action in taking the price for Russia’s dangerous actions on Czech territory.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Thursday imposing sanctions on Russia for allegedly interfering in the U.S. election and launching a malicious cyber campaign, among other activities. The U.S. sanctions include the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and intelligence agency personnel in Washington, among other individuals, as well as Russian entities.
Reuters reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday (April 16) that Russia will demand the departure of 10 U.S. diplomats in retaliation for the U.S. expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats.
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