Czech Parliament Speaker to Call on Merkel to Remove Anti-Russia Sanctions

The Czech parliament's upper house speaker, Milan Stech, expressed his intention on Thursday to urge German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is vising Prague, to remove anti-Russia sanctions, according to Ceske Noviny newspaper.

PRAGUE (Sputnik) — Stech made the statement at an agricultural trade fair in the town of Ceske Budejovice, adding that that sanctions against Russia have a negative impact on Czech agriculture and industry, according to Ceske Noviny newspaper.

The parliament speaker is likely to talk to Merkel at a dinner given in her honor in Prague, the news outlet said.

Earlier in the day, Czech President Milos Zeman urged Czech statesmen to voice publicly their discontent with EU sanctions against Russia.

Ties between Russia and the European Union suffered a severe blow after Crimea became part of Russia in 2014 and the West accused Moscow of meddling in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, imposing political and economical sanctions on Russia. The Kremlin has repeatedly refuted the accusations and introduced counter measures on a list of EU products.

Several EU member states, including the Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, have expressed skepticism over the efficiency of restrictive measures against Russia.