The European Council has criticized Russia's decision to designate the United States and the Czech Republic as "unfriendly," a move by Moscow that will limit the two Western countries in their hiring of staff for embassy operations in Russia, RadioLiberty reports.
On Friday, May 14, theRussian government published its official list of "unfriendly" countries. It pledged to apply the measure to other countries if they engage in "unfriendly actions."
According to the document, the Czech Republic’s embassy and consulates in Russia are allowed to employ up to 19 Russian staffers, while the US diplomatic missions are completely prohibited from doing so.
The European Union expressed the solidarity with the Czech Republic.
On Friday, May 14, the European Council President Charles Michel said onTwitter, that Russian government’s decision to compile a list of unfriendly foreign countries undermines diplomatic relations.
"The Russian government’s decision on ‘states committing unfriendly acts’ is another escalatory step & undermines diplomatic relations," he tweeted.
European Council President Charles Michel on May 15 called the Russian government's action "another escalatory step" that "undermines diplomatic relations."
On May 14, the Czech Foreign Ministry said in statement that "we consider this course of action by the Russian Federation to be another step toward the escalation of relations not only with the Czech Republic, but also with the E.U. and its allies."
The move is "completely contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the statement said, adding that it would affect tourism and business between the two countries.