Prime Minister willing to make August 21 a commemorative day

If there is were general agreement in society to make August 21 a commemorative day, I would be willing to discuss this idea, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Tuesday after commemorating, along with Cabinet ministers, the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia at Alexander Dubček's grave. "I'm not a supporter of letting wounds fester artificially. On the other hand, it's a part of our history to which we can't shut our eyes, and our neighbours and then allies can't do so, either," said Pellegrini. According to him, it's not important what is written in the calendar, but how people are able to recall these events from personal and human viewpoints. According to Pellegrini, it's good that the events of 1968 are commemorated not only in Bratislava, but in other towns and cities as well.