Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan are hotspots that could easily see violence flare up
Prague, Aug. 11 (ČTK) — The Czech Foreign Affairs Ministry does not recommend that Czech citizens travel to the Russian regions bordering with Ukraine or the regions near the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the ministry said on its webpage.
The warning is due to the armed clashes in the areas, the ministry said.
The conflict between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine is still ongoing.
“The Foreign Affairs Ministry does not recommend to the citizens of the Czech Republic that they travel or move on the territory of Russia near the Russian-Ukrainian border, especially in the Rostov region,” the ministry has warned.
“At present, traveling to the region is associated with an increased security risk,” it added.
Before a trip to Russia, it is advisable to be registered at the voluntary DROZD database of travelers, the ministry said.
Hostilities have also resumed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenian exclaves in Azerbaijan that Armenia has controlled since the war in 1994. Last week, at least 18 people died in clashes there.
This is why the Foreign Affairs Ministry does not recommend that Czechs travel to the areas adjacent to the two countries’ border.
“In the [Armenian] province of Tavush, between the towns of Idjevan and Noyemberyan, the M16-H26 road connecting Yerevan with Tbilisi is frequently used by tourists,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
Apart from artillery shelling of the border regions, there have been the cases of shooting at passing cars, it added.
The ministry said the Czech embassies in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, would be unable to provide consular help to Czech citizens in Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent regions.
