At least 10,000 guests are expected to attend the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) at the SNP Memorial in Banská Bystrica this coming Friday, SNP Museum director Stanislav Mičev said at a press conference on Tuesday.
As many as 36 embassies have already confirmed the attendance of their representatives, including those of Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Venezuela. When it comes to the most senior officials, Slovak President Andrej Kiska aside, the ceremony will also be attended by Czech President Miloš Zeman and Polish President Bronisław Komorowski. Russia has confirmed the presence of Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu. Meanwhile, the organisers still haven't received responses to invitations sent to senior officials of Ukraine and Germany. Mičev said that even though Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has been invited, most probably only an embassy representative will take part in the wreath-laying ceremony. “It has been announced to us that more than 90 wreaths will be laid, so there will be many delegations to take part in the main SNP celebrations”, said Mičev. The ceremony in Banská Bystrica on August 29, which is a public holiday, will begin at 11 a.m. with a flyover of jet fighters and speeches of top Slovak constitutional officials to follow.
