Prague: Members of the upper house of the Czech parliament, the Senate, at their meeting on Wednesday evening, called on the government to terminate the treaty on friendly relations and cooperation with Russia, Czech TV reported.
The senators in the adopted resolution called the 2014 explosion in Vrbetica an act of state terrorism, urged the government to terminate the treaty on friendly relations and cooperation with Russia, and also to reduce the strength of the Russian Embassy in Prague to 1 person, it said.
The report said 67 out of 72 senators present at the meeting had voted for the resolution.
The Senate members also recommended that the government discuss the incident in Vrbetica in the UN Security Council, as well as in NATO and EU bodies, and ask the states members of these organizations for support and assistance.
The senators supported the decision to expel 18 Russian diplomats from Prague and condemned Russia’s retaliatory action of expelling 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Moscow.
The Senate members also asked the cabinet to publish the open part of the document on the Vrbetica blast in order to avoid spreading misinformation on this topic.
In addition, the senators recommended that the government demand from Russia compensation for the damage caused to the republic and individuals as a result of the explosion in Vrbetica.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on April 17 that the country’s authorities suspected Russian intelligence services of involvement in an explosion at an ammunition depot in Vrbetica in 2014. The Kremlin called these accusations outrageous and unfounded.
Eighteen Russian diplomats were expelled from the Czech Republic. In response, Russia declared 20 employees of the Czech Embassy personae non gratae. They already left the country.
