Czech Ambassador Clarifies: His Country And Chechnya ‘Are Two Very Different Entities’

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Addressing what he described as a “most unfortunate misunderstanding” to emerge after it was revealed that the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings are of Chechen descent, Petr Gandalovič, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States, issued a statement on Friday to clarify that the “Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities.”

As many I was deeply shocked by the tragedy that occurred in Boston earlier this month. It was a stark reminder of the fact that any of us could be a victim of senseless violence anywhere at any moment.

As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect. The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities – the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.

As the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman noted in his message to President Obama, the Czech Republic is an active and reliable partner of the United States in the fight against terrorism. We are determined to stand side by side with our allies in this respect, there is no doubt about that.

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