Headlines
Belarus expels Czech diplomat in tit-for-tat move
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 19, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
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Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 19, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Belarus expels a Czech diplomat amid rising tensions with Czech Republic and Poland over espionage accusations, reflecting ongoing diplomatic conflicts.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Belarus' foreign ministry said on Friday that it had ordered a Czech diplomat to leave the country and summoned a senior Polish diplomat for a meeting, after both countries expelled Belarusian diplomatic staff.
The Czech Republic and Poland this month expelled Belarusian diplomats for espionage. Poland also arrested another person it alleged was a Belarusian spy.
Belarus, a close ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine, has been under Western sanctions since Minsk cracked down on protests against the 2020 election, in which official results gave longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko a victory not recognised by the opposition or most Western countries.
In a statement, the ministry said the expulsion was "the result of years of cultivated bias against Belarus by the Czech authorities."
Belarus this month hosted major military exercises with the participation of Russian forces.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Gleb Bryanski)
Belarus' foreign ministry stated that the expulsion was a response to years of cultivated bias against Belarus by the Czech authorities.
Both the Czech Republic and Poland expelled Belarusian diplomats this month, citing espionage concerns, with Poland also arresting an alleged Belarusian spy.
This month, Belarus hosted major military exercises that included participation from Russian forces.
Belarus has been under Western sanctions since it cracked down on protests following the controversial 2020 election results.
Belarus is a close ally of Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine, aligning itself with Russian military efforts.
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