Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD) and his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavský will meet in Topoľčianky on Tuesday, June 10, to open the Topoľčianky Forum, a symposium commemorating the 145th anniversary of Slovak historical figure Milan Rastislav Štefánik’s birth and the 175th anniversary of the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk’s birth.
Organized by the Slovak and Czech foreign ministries, the event will feature a panel of leading Slovak and Czech historians and academics reflecting on the historical significance of both figures.
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk was the founding father and first president of Czechoslovakia, who played a key role in gaining international support for Czech and Slovak independence during World War I. Milan Rastislav Štefánik was a Slovak general, diplomat, and scientist who significantly contributed to the creation of Czechoslovakia by organizing the Czechoslovak legions and co-founding the state alongside Masaryk and Beneš.
Source: TASR, MZV
