Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister stated that it felt like an honour being able to represent Slovakia at Tuesday's memorial service dedicated to Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. “It wasn't a traditional memorial service like we have in our country.
This was an unorthodox event and more like celebration of his life than a gathering of mourners, a fact repeated by US President Barack Obama in his speech”, said Lajčák. The event took place in a stadium in front of a crowd of nearly 100,000 mourners, with a large number of world leaders coming to pay their respects to this key fighter against apartheid and oppression. The service was also attended by Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, Cuban President Raul Castro, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, as well as incumbent and former French presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy. Some 70 state representatives also included former and incumbent US Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush as well as former state department head Hillary Clinton, her husband former president Bill Clinton and former US president Jimmy Carter. Mandela's body is to be been transported to Pretoria, where he took his presidential oath in 1994, and a state funeral is scheduled for December 15 in Qunu, the area where Mandela grew up.
