MINSK, Sept 20 (NNN-BelTA) – A Czech diplomat has been declared persona non grata and is required to leave Belarus within 72 hours, Ruslan Varankov, spokesperson for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, said, yesterday.
Recently, the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic requested that Belarusian diplomats with the rank of counselor leave their territories, citing unfounded and unjustified reasons, said Varankov.
In response, the acting head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Belarus, Tomas Kryl, was summoned to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. There, he was informed that a Czech diplomat with the rank of counsellor has been declared persona non grata and must exit Belarus within three days, Varankov said.
A senior Polish diplomat was also summoned for a “detailed discussion” on the current state of Belarusian-Polish relations, with details expected to be provided later, said a statement of the ministry.
“The Belarusian side considers this diplomatic incident resolved,” said Varankov. If further escalation occurs, Belarus will respond appropriately, and Minsk’s position has been communicated to Prague and Warsaw, he said.– NNN-BelTA
