President of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Gašparovič, and President of the Czech Republic, Václav Klaus, commemorate the 40th anniversary of August 1968 in Bratislava

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s invasion by Warsaw Pact troops, the President of Slovakia and the President of the Czech Republic paid tribute to the memory of victims of the August invasion by laying flowers at Šafárikovo Square. Ivan Gašparovič together with Václav Klaus paid homage to Danka Košanová, Stanislav Sivák and the captain Ján Holík at a memorial plaque at Comenius University.

According to Ivan Gašparovič, the invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia was a joint tragedy for both the Slovaks and Czechs. “It was our joint tragedy, it is a black chapter of our joint history,” the Slovak president said. Ivan Gašparovič said that even though the former Czechoslovakia had been liberated by soviet troops, tanks do not bring freedom. “If they come they tend to stay and if somebody dictates to somebody there is no more freedom,” he pointed out. “What had happened that day was not a matter of hours but rather months during which it was becoming clear that something was not at all right. Ordinary people could not believe that a prosperous country with a good economy was invaded by the troops of five countries who stayed there for another 20 years. Despite this people demonstrated a great amount of courage and determination. At the end, the president of Slovakia pointed out that even though Slovakia and the Czech Republic are two independent states, they have a common future as EU members.

“Czechoslovakia’s invasion by five states of the Warsaw Pact on 21st August 1968 was the definite beginning of communism’s end,” Czech President Václav Klaus said during his visit to Bratislava.” August was a crucial turning point when communism also lost those who had believed in it,” the Czech president said.