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Czech Republic to encourage NATO allies to expel Russian diplomats — source

Preparations are underway in Brussels for an ambassadorial meeting of the North Atlantic Council, where the Czech foreign minister will brief the allies on the diplomatic standoff with Moscow, according to the source

BRUSSELS, April 22. /TASS/. The Czech Republic will seek to ensure that NATO makes a decision on the partial expulsion of Russian diplomats from member states as a sign of solidarity with Prague, a diplomatic source in Brussels told TASS on Thursday.

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"Preparations continue in Brussels for an ambassadorial meeting of the North Atlantic Council, where the Czech foreign minister will brief the allies on the diplomatic standoff with Moscow. Bilateral consultations are currently underway, with the Czech Republic trying to ensure that the meeting takes a decision on the coordinated expulsion of a limited number of Russian diplomats from NATO countries," the source specified.

According to the source, the Czech Republic believes that Russia took "disproportionate" measures in response to the accusations of Russian intelligence agencies having been allegedly involved in an ammunition depot blast in Vrbetice and seeks to convince NATO allies to put diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Officials from NATO headquarters confirmed to TASS that preparations are underway for an North Atlantic Council meeting involving the Czech top diplomat, which is expected to take place "at the end of the week."

The foreign ministers of European Union countries discussed the Czech Republic’s accusations against Russia at a video conference on April 19. EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said after the event that Prague had not asked EU members to follow in Prague’s footsteps and expel Russian diplomats. The EU and NATO took such a step in 2018 following the United Kingdom’s accusations of Russia’s alleged involvement in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, triggering unprecedented tensions between Russia and the West. Prague claims that Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, whom London accuses of attempting to assassinate the Skripals, also allegedly had a hand in the 2014 ammunition depot blast in the eastern Czech village of Vrbetice, which killed two individuals.

On April 17, Czech officials announced the expulsion of 18 employees of the Russian Embassy in Prague, who, according to the Czech authorities, are "officers of Russia’s SVR and GRU intelligence agencies." The Russian Foreign Ministry protested against the move that Prague had taken "under false pretenses," and declared 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Moscow personae non grata.

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