Statue of Marshal Ivan Konev Unveiled in Death Valley near Dukla Pass

Kruzlova, 3 October (TASR) - A statue of Marshal Ivan Konev was unveiled on Saturday in the Valley of Death, as part of the municipality of Kruzlova (Presov region) near the Dukla Pass. The unveiling was attended by Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac, MEP Lubos Blaha (both Smer-SD), Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Sergey Andreev, and chairman of the Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters Jaroslav Demian. In a brief speech, Takac thanked everyone who had contributed to the unveiling of the statue, noting that, in his view, memorials are being destroyed across Europe and in Slovakia. He believes that erecting memorials to figures who gave their lives so that we might live in a free country is entirely appropriate. "We can't equate what's happening today with what took place more than 80 years ago," he said, adding that, in his view, the memorial is not just about General Konev, but also about the many people in this region who gave their lives for freedom. "The Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters considers it to be an honour to pay tribute to and express its gratitude to Ivan Stepanovich Konev at these exceptionally significant sites, where our freedom was born through bloody battles and at the cost of many lives," said the chairman of the anti-fascist fighters. In his speech, the Russian ambassador thanked Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), who, he said, had come up with the initiative two years ago to commemorate Konev in Slovakia. am