Today on Friday the 11th of November, countries around the world including Slovakia are commemorating the 104th anniversary of the end of WW1, a day that is also observed as International War Veterans' Day or Armistice Day. On that day in 1918, the final salvo, which symbolically ended World War I, was fired at 11:11 a.m., when the armistice was signed. Slovak Premier Eduard Heger and his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala marked International War Veterans Day by laying wreaths at the Monument of Czechoslovak Legionnaires in Prague on Friday morning. President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová commemorated Friday's War Veterans Day at the Military Cemetery Petržalka - Kopčany in Bratislava. In her statement, she stressed the value of peace. "We commemorate the sacrifices of all people who have fallen for peace and freedom in various war conflicts. In today's time and in today's context it is very important to realise that peace is not a given," Čaputová said. The Defence Ministry registers 8,616 living war veterans, twenty-five of whom fought in WW2. Today you can meet people with red poppies pinned on their clothing. Poppies have become a symbol of remembrance, as the red flowers covered the graves of fallen soldiers on the Western Front. On the occasion of Friday's War Veterans Day, the Post Bellum civic association is organising a public collection in the streets of regional towns. Citizens can support the documentation of the stories of 20th century war veterans and memorials. As a thank you, people will receive a red poppy.
Source: TASR
