President sends condolences over Helmut Schmidt's passing

Slovak President Andrej Kiska has sent a condolence telegram to German President Joachim Gauck over the passing of former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, TASR learnt from Kiska's office on Wednesday. "It was with profound grief that I received the news of Helmut Schmidt's death", wrote Kiska. Schmidt served as West Germany's chancellor between 1974 to 1982, guiding the country through a tense Cold War period. He was among the leading proponents of the euro common currency later on. He died on Tuesday at the age of 96. "An extraordinary person, a respected statesman and a convinced supporter of European integration has passed away. His wisdom, political courage and authority set an example not only for generations of German citizens, but for all of us", stated Kiska.