Nine resolutions from the socialist Czechoslovakia era, which have allowed Russian diplomats to use land in the country free of charge, have been cancelled by the government on Wednesday.
The Foreign Ministry proposed the cancellation of resolutions from 1970 to 1982 because Russia was not using the land for diplomatic purposes.
“We have cancelled the government’s decisions made under the barrels of Russian tanks after the occupation of our country, which until now have allowed Russia to use vast tracts of land on our territory free of charge,” Czech European Affairs Minister Martin Dvořák tweeted.
According to the Foreign Ministry, some properties were used for commercial purposes.
“Unjustified profits from the use of these lands must not be used to support the current occupation of Ukraine,” Dvořák added.
The Czech cabinet’s decision affects 59 plots of land. They include apartments near the embassy in Prague and also buildings and recreational facilities in other Czech towns and cities.
The government’s move does not mean that Russian diplomats will have to vacate the properties, but they will have to pay rent and taxes.
As Czech News Agency reported, only six diplomats work at the Russian embassy in Prague.
Relations between Russia and Czechia deteriorated significantly in 2021 when the Czech government announced that Russian intelligence agents were involved in the 2014 explosions at Czech ammunition depots.
The two countries then expelled each other’s diplomats. The number of Russian diplomats in Czechia was further reduced after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
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