Ukraine’s ambassador to be invited to Czech Foreign Ministry: What’s reason
Photo: Ukraine’s ambassador to Czechia Vasyl Zvarych (facebook.com/ODFoundation)
The head of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Petr Macinka, will invite Ukraine’s ambassador, Vasyl Zvarych, to Prague to discuss his comments regarding statements made by the speaker of the Czech parliament toward Kyiv and the country’s leadership, states Czech Finance Minister Alena Schillerová, according to Ceske Noviny.
As the outlet writes, in response to media questions, Czech Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mariana Wernerová also confirmed the upcoming meeting. According to her, the date is still being finalized.
She said the minister wants to speak with the ambassador and clarify certain issues.
She stressed that this is not a summons of the ambassador. Such a meeting is used in diplomacy as a form of protest or an expression of serious concern by the host country toward the state represented by the ambassador.
Background
In his New Year’s address, Czech parliament speaker Tomio Okamura made harsh statements about Ukraine and its leadership.
He said that Czech budget funds should be directed toward supporting pensioners, people with disabilities, and families with children, rather than being spent on weapons and financing military actions abroad.
He also spoke out against Ukraine’s membership in the EU and additionally criticized the EU’s position as well as the entourage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On Thursday evening, January 1, Ukraine’s ambassador Vasyl Zvarych wrote on Facebook that Okamura’s words toward Ukraine and the leadership of the Ukrainian state in his New Year’s speech were unworthy and absolutely unacceptable.
The following day, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said he did not consider it appropriate for an ambassador of a foreign state to publicly assess statements made by one of the highest constitutional officials of Czechia.
"If any diplomatic mission has reservations or questions, there are standard diplomatic channels for that. However, Czech politics is a matter for Czech citizens and their democratically elected representatives," he said on Friday.
That same day, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the criticism from the Czech minister, saying that the Ukrainian ambassador had acted correctly and professionally.
"Ukraine’s Ambassador was absolutely right to respond to Speaker Okamura’s infuriating insults toward Ukraine and its leadership — and he did so diplomatically," his post said.
