BRATISLAVA, April 16. /TASS/. Slovakian cemeteries are filled with Red Army soldiers, a stark reminder that the country was liberated during World War II by its neighbors to the East, not anyone in the West, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
"The entire territory of Slovakia is dotted with cemeteries where soldiers who fought for the Red Army are buried," he told reporters during a visit to Croatia. "We know who liberated us. No one can take that away from us. No one can tell us that liberation came from the West when it came from the East."
He also reminded that in 1944, some of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War took place in the vicinity of the Dukla pass near the Slovak-Ukrainian border.
Fico confirmed that he will come to Moscow on May 9 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazism. He intends to honor the memory of "the people who died during the liberation of Slovakia and Czechoslovakia," as well as show respect for the millions of civilian victims.
"Like it or not, the greatest contribution to defeating Nazi Germany, fascism and nazism historically belongs to the peoples of the former Soviet Union," the prime minister said.
EU threats and dialogue with Russia
On April 14, the head of EU diplomacy Kaja Kallas warned that the union "takes trips to Moscow to celebrate May 9 seriously," and that anyone who did so would "face consequences."
Fico said that Kallas has no right to dissuade the leaders of sovereign states from traveling anywhere.
He also called for dialogue with Russia. "We must negotiate and defend our positions during these negotiations," the politician said.