‘Czech Republic is not Chechnya’

The Czech Republic’s ambassador to the US issues statement expressing concern at ‘unfortunate misunderstanding’ in the social media

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The Czech Republic’s ambassador to the United States addressed on Friday night what he described as a “most unfortunate misunderstanding” after it was revealed that the two Boston bombing suspects — Dzhokbar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev — were of Chechen origin. Ambassador Petr Gandalovič released a statement clarifying that the Czech Republic, a US ally, and Chechnya are two very different entities:

“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,” the statement read.

“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.”

The ambassador expressed shock at the tragedy that occurred in Boston, adding that “it was a stark reminder of the fact that any of us could be a victim of senseless violence anywhere at any moment.”