Former Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič, just weeks before he ended his term in office, invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) on August 29.
He sent out the invitation via diplomatic channels in May, which was at a time when Russia had annexed Crimea from Ukraine and the EU, and the USA had imposed the first wave of sanctions on Russia. The spokesperson for the new Slovak President Andrej Kiska confirmed the fact that Russian President Putin had been invited to Slovakia, reasoning that Heads of states and nations that participated in the liberation of Slovakia in 1944 and 1945 were invited. The Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Ministry is unable to say at this point whether or not the commemorations will indeed be attended by Putin or some of the other most senior officials such as Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev or Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The list of guests at the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) commemoration will be available only a few days before August 29.
