On Sunday 100 years ago, an armistice between the Entente Powers and Germany came into force, signalling the official end of the First World War. Celebrations commemorating this event took place all over the world, including in Slovakia.
At the invitation of the French President Emmanuel Macron, the Slovak president Andrej Kiska joined the commemorative events held at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, alongside several dozen heads of state and heads of governments from all over the world, including the US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. At this event, Kiska condemned the causes of the conflict, fueled by strong nationalism, the arrogance of some world leaders and their desire for new territories and greater power.
"It was also proof of short-sightedness when they thought that the conflict would end in a few months, yet it it claimed more than ten million lives during the four years," stated Kiska.
Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš on Sunday remembered all war veterans at the military cemetery in the Bratislava borough of Kopčany. Marking both the War Veterans Day and the 100th anniversary of the end of the WWI, Gajdoš gave awards to several war veterans for their merit and presented them with the Memorial Medal marking the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Slovak Armed Forces. Remembrance Day celebrations also took place in the Bratislava borough of Čunovo, at the memorial of the fallen British soldiers shot down there in 1944.
