PRAGUE, September 4. /TASS/. The situation with the alleged poisoning of Alexey Navalny negatively affects the preparations of consultations between the Czech Republic and Russia, which the parties intend to hold in accordance with the 1993 Treaty on Friendly Relations and Cooperation, Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said in an interview with Denik N.

Despite the fact that the consultations are subject to bilateral relations, and the situation concerning Navalny the Czech Republic will decide within the framework of the European Union - the situation threatens the upcoming consultations, he said.

The situation in Belarus also negatively affected the preparation of consultations, the purpose of which is to unfreeze Czech-Russian relations. In connection with the events taking place in Belarus, the beginning of consultations, according to the minister, was postponed.

On July 9, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia stands ready for talks with the Czech Republic at the level of deputy foreign ministers, but their timeframe cannot be set due to the pandemic. "We confirm our readiness for dialogue with the Czech Republic at the level of corresponding deputy foreign ministers, but the epidemic situation prevents us from holding this meeting in the foreseeable future," she said. "For that reason, we call on our Czech counterparts to start consultations between our countries’ representatives as soon as possible," Zakharova said.