PRAGUE, April 23. /TASS/. The Czech Foreign Ministry plans to discuss with Russia the decision of Moscow to limit the number of locally hired staff at the Czech Embassy and the republic’s cultural mission in Moscow, a statement published on the ministry’s website on Friday informs.

The foreign ministry reminded of the decision of the Russian side to limit the number of Russian employees at the Czech Embassy in Moscow and at the Czech House (the republic’s cultural mission) to correspond to the number of workers employed by the Russian Embassy in Prague. The ministry stressed that Russian citizens are hired as service staff in Moscow.

"They are not involved in the direct implementation of diplomatic and consular functions of our embassy. To the Czech Republic, this step [of Russia] means significant technical and administrative difficulties. We will be forced to include the reduced number of [locally hired] employees in the agenda of the talks on the parity of employees of our [diplomatic] missions," the ministry stated.

 

Aggravation of Czech-Russian relations

On April 17, the Czech government announced the expulsion of 18 employees of the Russian embassy in Prague, who were allegedly "officers of Russian intelligence services." The move came over Prague’s newly-leveled allegations about the 2014 Vrbetice blast. According to reports, "officers of Russia’s military intelligence" were allegedly involved in the said incident.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed a resolute protest to Prague over this step, declaring 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Moscow personae non gratae. On Thursday, the Czech Republic stated that it is reducing the number of Russian diplomats in the Russian Embassy in Prague to correspond to the number of Czech diplomats in Moscow. In response, Russia demanded to reduce the number of employees of the Czech Embassy in Moscow.