“Prague is on the move.” Russia wants to defrost relations with the Czech Republic
MOSCOW VS. PRAGUE
Moscow is ready to take relations with Prague out of the impasse, but it depends on the real steps of the Czech side. According to the TASS agency, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharovova, said in response to words from the head of Czech diplomacy, Jan Lipavsky, about “the intention to find a way to thaw dialogue” with Russia.
“We agree that getting a dead end is 100%, and we are basically ready for it. On the preparation of a positive agenda, we will see how the statement of the new head of the Czech Ministry, if foreign, will be implemented only by the Czech side. Prague is on the move, “said Zacharovová, according to the agency.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said after the NATO-Russia Council meeting in Brussels that the Czechia knew what needed to be done to improve relations with Russia and to remove it from the list of non-friendly countries against Russia. “In the Czech Republic, they know what needs to be done,” Gruško said in response to a question from the TASS agency, without further elaborating and completing his words.
In this context, TASS mentioned Lipavsky’s statement that he was determined to find a way to thaw relations with Russia. According to the Russian agency, the minister also described the Czech Republic’s entry on the Russian black list as a bad situation in the long run.
During a visit to Bratislava last year, Lipavský increased that relations between the Czech Republic and Russia were at a very low level. “I will look at how we can restart, promote. It is a very uncomfortable situation when the executives do not talk to each other, “said Lipavský.
The diplomatic rift between the Czech Republic and Russia, which resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of staff at both embassies, was triggered last spring by suspicions by Czech security forces about the involvement of Russian military secret services in the GRU ammunition depots in Vrbětice.
Lipav’s predecessor Jakub Kulhanek previously said that political relations with Russia are now de facto frozen. If the new cabinet decides to settle them, a broader platform should be set up to address the issue. The way would also be to have a proxy with a strong enough mandate to do so, at least in the first phase, when negotiations at the ministerial level are rather not to be expected.
“Capturing Russian-Czech relations in the light of Vrbětice, which we cannot think about, will be a long way and will require very precise and well-thought-out diplomacy if the goals are somehow set so that it is again beneficial for the Czech Republic,” said the former head of Czech diplomacy .