Czech ambassador to Moscow held talks at Russian Foreign Ministry over Czech House dispute

Czech ambassador to Moscow, Vítězslav Pivoňka, attended a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry to discuss the escalation of tensions over the Czech House dispute. The Russian authorities recently ordered the removal of part of the fence surrounding the property which the Czech side considers to be a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the step would not go unanswered. The Russian Foreign Ministry claims the problematic fence is a long-standing issue and has nothing to do with the present political situation.

The Czech House, the largest property owned by the country abroad, has been operating in maintenance mode for several months now, with three Czech and four Russian employees overseeing its operation. The Foreign Ministry decided to close it down shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.