MINSK, 19 September (BelTA) – A Czech diplomat has been declared persona non grata and must leave Belarus within 72 hours, spokesperson for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ruslan Varankov told the media, BelTA has learned.
He emphasized: “As you already know, the authorities of the Republic of Poland and the Czech Republic have recently requested that Belarusian diplomats holding the rank of advisers leave their countries under completely fabricated and unjustified pretexts.”
“Today, Chargé d’Affaires of the Czech Republic in Belarus Tomáš Kryl has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. He was informed that a Czech diplomat (adviser rank) has been declared persona non grata as a reciprocal measure and must leave Belarus within 72 hours,” the spokesperson remarked.
“We would like to emphasize that the current situation stems from a long-standing and persistent bias against Belarus by the Czech authorities. We are obliged to respond in line with established diplomatic practices, including in the light of previously imposed restrictions on the Belarusian Embassy in the Czech Republic,” Ruslan Varankov added.
Also today, Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Poland in Belarus Wojciech Filemonowicz has been summoned to the the ministry for a substantive discussion on the current state of Belarus-Poland relations. Details of that conversation will be disclosed later.
“The Belarusian side believes that this diplomatic incident has been resolved. If further escalation occurs, Belarus will take appropriate measures. This position has been conveyed to Warsaw and Prague,” Ruslan Varankov concluded.
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