Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived for a two-day official visit to Slovakia on Tuesday, April 6. He was invited by his Slovak counterpart, Ivan Gašparovič.
The visit is to mark the 65th anniversary of the Red Army's liberation of Bratislava towards the end of WWII. On Wednesday, the two presidents will lay wreaths at the Slavín war memorial, which also serves as a cemetery for the 6,845 Soviet soldiers who were killed during the fighting in the Slovak capital.
On the first day of his visit, having attended a reception ceremony, Medvedev took part in a gala dinner hosted by Gašparovič and his wife Silvia. The Russian president will meet Prime Minister Robert Fico and Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška on the second day of his visit, when he will sign a number of intergovernmental agreements, including one that will form the basis for co-operation in the war against drug trafficking.
The Russian head of state's entourage includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov, Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and other officials from state institutions and companies. On Thursday, Medvedev is due to meet US President Barack Obama in Prague to sign a new nuclear arms reduction treaty.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
7. Apr 2010 at 10:00
