Fico Pays Tribute to Fallen Soldiers in Moscow by Laying Flowers

Moscow/Bratislava, May 9 (TASR) - Following the military parade in Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe on Friday, Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) paid tribute to those who fell in battles by laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexandrovsky Garden near the Kremlin walls. Fico himself has posted this information on social media, adding that he laid the flowers along with other leaders present. "Part of the celebration of the victory over fascism was the laying of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin walls as an expression of respect for all soldiers. I view it as my patriotic duty to confirm our gratitude to our liberators. It is also a response to those who want to forcibly change history in the name of current geopolitical goals," wrote the Slovak premier. Fico claims that by his visit to Moscow, Slovakia "stood alongside world powers as an equal and respected partner, mainly thanks to its clear, legible stances and value anchoring". According to Fico, one of the pillars of modern Slovak statehood is "the clear anti-fascist tradition that we are rightly proud of." The foreign delegations previously attended a military parade on Red Square, where more than 11,500 members of the Russian Army, the Federal Security Service, the Russian Federal Guard and the Ministry of Emergency Situations marched together with representatives of the armies of 13 friendly states. ko/df