On Friday, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a Czech diplomat persona non grata and summoned a Polish envoy after the Czech Republic and Poland expelled Belarusian representatives on charges of espionage.

"Today, Tomáš Kryll, Chargé d'Affaires of the Czech diplomatic mission in Belarus, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was informed that a Czech diplomat (counsellor) had been declared persona non grata and must leave Belarus within 72 hours," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Varan said.

He described Prague's decision to expel a Belarusian diplomat as "the result of the Czech authorities' longstanding bias against Belarus."

Also on Friday, Wojciech Filimonowicz, Chargé d'Affaires of the Republic of Poland in the Republic of Belarus, was summoned to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry for what officials called "a substantive conversation on the current state of Belarusian-Polish relations."

The Belarusian MFA also condemned Poland's decision to expel a Belarusian diplomat.

As Ukrinform reported, in September, the Czech Republic declared a Belarusian diplomat, accused of working with intelligence services, persona non grata.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also announced the arrest of a Belarusian spy and the expulsion of a Belarusian diplomat.