Russian ambassador summoned by Czech Foreign Ministry as apartment scandal grows
The Russian Ambassador in the Czech Republic, Aleksandr Zmeievsky, was summoned to the the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, reported the newspaper Deník N.
According to the newspaper, Zmeievsky was summoned by the Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolke, who is responsible for legal and consular affairs, and who for the third week is dealing with the issues involving properties used by Russian diplomats in Prague.
A day earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry made a presentation to the Czech Ambassador Vitezslav Pivonka due to the “abnormal situation that has developed around some of the real estate facilities in Prague used by the Russia.”
The newspaper Deník N has previously reported that the Russian Embassy in Prague rented hundreds of apartments intended for diplomats to private citizens. According to the publication, apartments were rented without contracts and payment were collected in cash.
Commenting on this information, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, noted that the newspaper reports “are based on some local sources that distort the data and facts".