Hundreds of personalities contributed to the foundation of Czechoslovakia and we would like to express our acknowledgment and gratitude for their courage and determination, said President Andrej Kiska in his speech on Tuesday at an event in the northern Slovak town of Martin, marking the centenary of the Declaration of the Slovak Nation and the creation of Czechoslovakia. "Let's say up front that these individuals had it rough: they faced persecution, imprisonment, but fought for the rights of us Slovaks, so, please, let's show respect for the founding fathers of the Martin Declaration," stated Kiska. After mentioning various stages in the history of ties between Slovaks and Czechs after 1918, the Slovak president highlighted the fact that after the split in 1993, the two countries reunited in the higher unit of the European Union.
The ceremony was attended also by the Czech President Miloš Zeman who said that the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 allowed Czechs and Slovaks to safeguard their nationalities, languages and the freedom to develop. As he pointed out both nations were under threat of national assimilation - Czechs by Germanisation and Slovaks by Magyarisation (Hungarianisation). "There are no nations in the world closer than the Czechs and Slovaks. It's not just the language similarity. Hence, I hope that we'll stay together in the EU for many years to come," said Zeman.
The special gathering was also addressed by Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. It was held in the northern Slovak town of Martin where the Declaration of the Slovak Nation was signed back in 1918. This document was used by Slovaks to claim their right to self-determination and co-found Czechoslovakia in 1918. At the time Slovaks also instituted the Slovak National Council as the sole body empowered to represent the nation. The commemorative event attended by top Slovak and Czech officials followed up on weekend celebrations (October 27-28) held in Czech and Slovak towns on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia.
