Premier: Fight Over Interpretation of Slovak National Uprising Goes On

Banska Bystrica, 29 August (TASR) - The Slovak National Uprising (SNP) is the most significant event in Slovakia's modern history, but the battle over its interpretation still goes on, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stressed in his address marking the the 82nd anniversary of the SNP, noting that while Nazism was defeated on the battlefields of World War II, it was never erased from people's minds. "We're seeing it again, only in a different guise, just wearing a different outfit. I think it's time to lay our cards on the table, stop mincing our words, stop speaking in riddles, and call things exactly as they are," stressed Fico, who also spoke about efforts to demolish a concentration camp in Austria and the construction of the national pantheon of heroes in Kiev. "If a nation's memory is being built, this can hardly be done by creating a pantheon of people whose biographies make it difficult to draw a line between them and fascist ideology," he stated. Fico criticised what he called militant rhetoric and an atmosphere of hatred toward Russia, stating that without Russia, lasting peace and security in Europe cannot be achieved. According to him, every state must respect the legitimate security interests of another state. "Yes, Russia should be criticised when it makes mistakes, but it cannot be demonised and pushed out of Europe," he said, adding that the European Union is a peace project, not a tool to fight Russia. "The EU doesn't need more weapons and anti-Russian sentiment. The EU needs more diplomacy and concrete economic plans to help the economy," added Fico. Regarding perceptions of the SNP, he referred to former Czechoslovak Socialist Republic President Gustav Husak's words that the SNP lasted several months, but the battle over its interpretation had lasted for decades. "Over the past few years, I've seen countless distorted interpretations and warped mirrors aimed at portraying us, Slovaks, and the entire Slovak National Uprising, as some kind of a ridiculous caricature," said Fico. He also criticised the political opposition and spoke about contempt for history and for Slovakia, adding that "a political alternative cannot be built on hatred and the rejection of what is Slovak and authentic". jrg/df