In an effort to defuse tension that caused the removal of Greece’s ambassador from Prague, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek invited his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias to visit the Czech capital as soon as possible. In turn, he would return the visit on Wednesday so as to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries after they soured following statements by Czech President Milos Zeman who said his country would join the Eurozone on the day after Greece leaves it.

The comment made by Zeman was viewed as the last straw in a series of hostile statements regarding Greece. After constant lambasting that did not appear to be abating, it was decided to recall Greek Ambassador Panagiotis Sarris to Athens, said the Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman Konstantinos Koutras.

Speaking to Kotzias on the phone, Zaoralek said he regretted the statements made by his country’s President and he noted that they were personal and did not reflect the views held by the Czech government. He said that the Czech Republic does not believe that Greece is responsible for the economic or the refugee crisis. The Czech side is calling for a return of the Greek ambassador to Prague.

On his part, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka was also critical of Zeman, and said that it was not up to him to say who should or should not be in the Eurozone at a time when the Czech Republic is not a member of the monetary union.

Nonetheless, Sobotka however did negatively comment on Greece concerning the refugee crisis. “In the discussion with Greece we must clearly mention the Greek mistakes, such as on the issue of guarding the borders of the Schengen area,” he said.