IN A NATIONAL holiday the Czech Republic celebrated the 87th anniversary of the founding of the first Czechoslovak state. In Slovakia, October 28 was a regular working day.
"We have a common, rich, and meaningful past that would be worth a dignified commemoration in Slovakia," wrote the economic daily, Hospodárske noviny in a special supplement dedicated to the Czech and Slovak economies and the ongoing business and cultural contacts between the two states.
The first Czechoslovak state was established in 1918. In turbulent times, the Slovak state was founded on March 14, 1939 and the two nations came together after the Second World War in 1945. They functioned as a single state until 1993 when the countries split to establish their own independent republics.
