Defence Minister P. Gajdoš pays tribute to victims of 1968 Warsaw Pact Armies’ invasion of Czechoslovakia
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- Date: 21.08.2019
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Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš paid tribute to the memory of all victims who died in the 1968 Warsaw Pact Armies’ invasion of Czechoslovakia during a ceremony held today (21 August 2019) in Šafárik Square, Bratislava.
In his statement, Peter Gajdoš said: “The tragic destinies of the people whose memory we honour today are the bitter legacy of the totalitarian regime. They do deserve our attention and interest in history, because there is no other way for us to avoid repeating the mistakes that cost human lives.” He added that the principles of freedom, sovereignty and democracy are too precious to be viewed as a matter of course.
The invasion into Czechoslovakia, codenamed Operation Danube, was launched by the Warsaw Pact Armies on the night of 20/21 August 1968. Operation Danube was aimed at normalising relations and halting the democratisation of society. Already the first days of the occupation claimed dozens of dead and hundreds of citizens were injured, as they protested, in different ways, against the advance of Soviet troops. These remained stationed in Czechoslovakia until 1991.
In his statement, Peter Gajdoš said: “The tragic destinies of the people whose memory we honour today are the bitter legacy of the totalitarian regime. They do deserve our attention and interest in history, because there is no other way for us to avoid repeating the mistakes that cost human lives.” He added that the principles of freedom, sovereignty and democracy are too precious to be viewed as a matter of course.
The invasion into Czechoslovakia, codenamed Operation Danube, was launched by the Warsaw Pact Armies on the night of 20/21 August 1968. Operation Danube was aimed at normalising relations and halting the democratisation of society. Already the first days of the occupation claimed dozens of dead and hundreds of citizens were injured, as they protested, in different ways, against the advance of Soviet troops. These remained stationed in Czechoslovakia until 1991.
