SLOVAKIA remembered its 37th anniversary since the occupation of the former Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces on August 21, 1968, the news wire TASR reported.
Tanks rolled into the former Czechoslovakia in order to repress attempts by local Communist leaders to reform the country's regime into what has become known as "Communism with a human face". The reform, called for by politician Alexander Dubček, never materialized after Soviet forces crushed the local pro-reform Communists.
Speaking on the occasion of the occupation, Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda said that Slovaks' natural resistance to totalitarianism prepares Slovakia for its new role as a reliable, active partner in the modern democratic world. According to Dzurinda, Slovakia now protects freedom and creates conditions for peaceful co-existence and economic growth.
"Slovakia is actively helping those who fight for freedom and democracy, just like the [Czechoslovak Socialist Republic] did in former times," he said.
