The Czech Republic might boycott the Winter Olympic Games organised in Russian Sochi in 2014, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told the Austrian daily Die Presse in an interview for its Saturday`s issue, the Austrian APA news agency reported on Friday.

Schwarzenberg said it seemed odd to organise a sports and peace event near a region where people were killed and an aggressive war was waged, referring to Russia`s invasion in Georgia.

A EU boycott of the Olympics might achieve a lot, APA cites Schwarzenberg as saying in the interview.

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However, Schwarzenberg pointed out that not only EU politicians, but also national Olympic committees and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have to agree on the boycott.

He believes that the Georgian conflict might also escalate tension between Russia and Ukraine in near future.

Schwarzenberg told Die Presse it was important that other former Soviet republics, despite their traditional friendship with Russia, refused to support Russia`s attack on Georgia and its recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhasia.

He said it was because these former Soviet republics concluded that they, too, were threatened, APA writes.

On Thursday, the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tadjikistan and China condemned the Russian military intervention and said territorial integrity of states must be respected.

Prague Daily Monitor