The Czech government has approved a decree banning entry to holders of Russian diplomatic and service passports who do not have national accreditation from Prague.
The measure, reported by Radio Prague International, was proposed by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and approved on Tuesday, September 30. The restrictions do not apply to diplomats accredited in the Czech Republic or those transiting through the country en route to their official postings or attending international organization meetings. According to Lipavský, the measures will be enforced at the external Schengen border, including six international airports in the Czech Republic.
Last week, the EU diplomatic service proposed that Russian diplomats working in the EU report all travel within the bloc as part of new sanctions against Russia.
Lipavský has been advocating restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats within the Schengen area for nearly two years but has not yet secured sufficient support. According to Czech Foreign Ministry spokesperson Daniel Dreika, national measures will remain in effect even if the EU-level proposal is adopted.
Lipavský explained:
“While I have to carefully process every visa for a Czech diplomat or technical staff member going to Moscow, a Russian diplomat coming here to work at the embassy could bypass restrictions easily by arriving legally from Vienna, Warsaw, or Berlin, stay for 14 days, do something, and leave again.”
He added that Russian espionage networks frequently use diplomatic cover.
“There is no reason to make it easier for them to move around Europe. Schengen should serve Europeans, not work against them,” Lipavský stated.
