Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (SMER-SD) says the legacy of the First World War remains a powerful reminder that lasting peace can only be achieved through diplomacy. Marking the 112th anniversary of the outbreak of the war on Tuesday, Blanár warned that the failure of diplomacy in 1914 had devastating consequences. He noted that fighting on the Carpathian Front was among the bloodiest of the conflict, with around 400,000 men mobilised from what is now Slovakia and tens of thousands never returning.
Blanár also said the world is facing the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War, making dialogue and respect for international law more important than ever. He stressed that diplomacy must always be the first choice, not the last resort.
The First World War began on 28 July 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The conflict lasted more than four years and claimed the lives of around 10 million soldiers, while millions more were left with lasting physical or psychological injuries. The war also affected present-day Slovakia, where the Carpathian Front stretched from Bardejov to Snina in the country's east.
Source: TASR
