The foreign ministers of eight EU countries sent a letter to the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, with a proposal to limit the movement of diplomats of the Russian Federation through the Schengen area. This request is related, as noted in the letter, to suspicions that free movement makes it easier for diplomats to conduct “harmful activities.” This was reported to Western agencies by an official representative of the Czech government.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky confirmed in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the letter was sent to Borrell. According to the minister, the proposed measure is necessary because the movement of Russian diplomats and their family members through the countries of the Schengen zone “forms the infrastructure” for illegal activities.
The letter states that “intelligence activities, propaganda and even preparation of acts of sabotage are the main tasks of a significant number of alleged Russian diplomats in the European Union.” The quote from the text is provided by the AFP agency, which has a copy of the letter.
In the appeal of the foreign ministers of the eight EU countries to Borel, the need for urgent restrictive measures is emphasized, AFP reported.
In his interview with RCE/RS, Lipavsky said that the movements of Russian diplomats create a basis for threats in cyberspace and other sabotage and tricks “at the time, EU countries are concerned about Moscow’s attempts to sow discord between them. According to the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry, hybrid threats are growing, and the European Union must demonstrate to Russia that it does not intend to put up with this.
The letter sent to Borrell was signed by the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.
