Liberation80: Premier: Our Nation Clearly Oriented against Fascism

Piestany, May 8 (TASR) - The Slovak National Uprising (SNP) commands us not to remain neutral in celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, stated Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in his speech during the nationwide celebrations of the victory over fascism in Piestany on Thursday. Fico added that the SNP dictates that Slovakia is a nation clearly oriented against fascism, emphasising that Slovaks must honour all those who stood up against fascism, as this command forms a fundamental pillar of Slovakia's statehood. According to the premier, it's necessary to pay tribute to all the allies who fought against fascism in the Second World War. "That's why it was important to visit Normandy, where the landings took place in 1944. I also visited Arlington Cemetery in the United States, which is, among other things, connected to the incredible stories of Slovak soldiers. I will also gladly visit the memorial to the pilots of the Royal Air Force and thank both the Slovak and Czech airmen who were part of it. These are all stories that we care about and proudly identify with," said Fico. In his speech, the premier recalled the 60,000 Red Army soldiers and 10,000 Romanian troops who lost their lives on Slovak territory. The premier also addressed the current situation in Europe. He described as shocking how casually war is discussed today, along with the €800 billion that Europe plans to spend on armaments. "We should reflect on the new Iron Curtain that is emerging, not only in the form of building a massive military force, but also through irrational decisions such as halting all energy supplies from East to West. In the case of nuclear power plants in Slovakia alone, this could mean a huge catastrophe for the Slovak economy and for the entire country," he emphasised. Fico also said that Slovakia intends to continue to pursue a sovereign foreign policy in all four cardinal directions. "Even tomorrow, if I manage to visit the Russian Federation, I will have bilateral meetings with the Chinese president, the Brazilian president and the top representative of Vietnam. This is what a sovereign foreign policy looks like. I don't want an Iron Curtain, nor do I wish for any war. And through the Iron Curtain that already exists today we extend a hand to all those who wish to cooperate with us in friendship and economic partnership. Most importantly, through this already existing Iron Curtain Slovakia extends a hand to all the descendants of those who were killed liberating our country, and to all those who gave their lives so that on May 8, we can commemorate the end of the Second World War around the world," added Fico. lin/df