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Obama Congratulates Slovaks on 20th Anniversary of Revolution
Thursday 19 November 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, November 19 (TASR) - U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated citizens of Slovakia on the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said in Washington on Thursday.
According to ministry spokesman Peter Stano, who provided the information to TASR, Obama sent the message to guests of the ceremonial gala-night in Washington that was the highlight of a series of events held to mark the 20 anniversary of November 17, 1989.
"The fall of the Berlin Wall and of communism in the then Czechoslovakia became a reality not only due to the weakness and rotten foundations of the old regime, but also thanks to the immense political, diplomatic and economic pressure of the United States of America and other Western democracies. The free world showed solidarity towards us in what was probably the most critical moment in our modern history," said Lajcak.
Obama appreciated the bravery of many individuals amid the November 1989 events in their endeavours to attain freedom and human rights. President Obama called Slovakia and the Czech Republic "proud friends and valuable partners of the USA in NATO and important members of the EU."
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