- Title: Czechs say Russian response stronger than expected, seek solidarity from EU
- Date: 19th April 2021
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - JUNE 9, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ACTOR ADAM DRIVER POSING WITH WIFE JOANE TUCKER AT 2019 TONY AWARDS RED CARPET LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - DECEMBER 16, 2019) (REUTERS) DRIVER WITH WIFE TUCKER AT STAR WARS "RISE OF SKYWALKER" PREMIERE NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (F
- Embargoed: 3rd May 2021 12:00
- Keywords: Czech Republic Czech diplomat expulsions Dukovany power plant Jan Hamacek Prague Russia Russian Sputnik V vaccine Russian embassy
- Location: PRAGUE AND DUKOVANY, CZECH REPUBLIC
- City: PRAGUE AND DUKOVANY, CZECH REPUBLIC
- Country: Czech Republic
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA007E96USZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Czech Republic said on Monday (April 19) Russia's eviction of 20 Czech embassy employees in response to Prague's expulsion of 18 Russian staff was a stronger than expected reaction and the government would consider further steps.
The central European country ordered the Russian diplomats out on Saturday (April 17) saying it suspected Russian intelligence was involved in a 2014 explosion at an ammunition depot.
Acting Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek said he had asked fellow European Union foreign ministers for "an expression of solidarity" at a videoconference on Monday.
Hamacek also said that the Czech Republic would only focus on obtaining vaccines approved by the European Medicine Agency, after the country considered ordering the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
The Czech government has said it has reasonable suspicion that two Russian intelligence agents accused of a nerve agent poisoning in Britain in 2018 were behind the ammunition depot explosion four years before that killed two people.
The row is the biggest between Prague and Moscow since the end of decades of Soviet domination of eastern Europe in 1989.
The expulsions come as the central European country looks to start a tender for the construction of a new block at majority state-owned CEZ's Dukovany plant, with the question of inviting a Russian bidder having already split lawmakers.
Security services have demanded that Russia's Rosatom be excluded as a security risk, while President Milos Zeman and other senior officials have been putting Russia's case.
Industry Minister Karel Havlicek, who was previously in favour of including Russia, told Reuters in a text message: "The probability that Rosatom will participate in the expansion of Dukovany is very low."
(Production: Jiri Skacel, Karolina Bohacova) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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