The ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States stressed Friday that his country is different from Chechnya, the region with which one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects has close ties.

“As many, I was deeply shocked by the tragedy that occurred in Boston earlier this month. It was a stark reminder of the fact that any of us could be a victim of senseless violence anywhere at any moment,” Czech ambassador Petr Gandalovič said in a statement Friday.

Gandalovič cautioned people, largely on social media, that the Czech Republic and Chechnya are not the same thing.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Gandalovič concluded.