Sir, – I read with great interest the article "Czechs and Slovaks riled by Russian take on Prague Spring" by Dan McLaughlin (June 3rd) about the misleading documentary broadcast on Russian state television about the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the crushing of the reform process started by the Slovak politician Alexander Dubcek. I am very grateful that your newspaper pays attention also to the smaller and distant EU member states and their stories. As a small and very young state (in fact the youngest within the EU), we are extremely sensitive about any attempt to falsify history and misuse it for ideological purposes.
Dan McLaughlin wonders if “[Slovakia’s prime minister] Robert Fico challenged Russia’s leaders about the controversial documentary when he met them in Moscow”. Allow me to share with you that the matter has been, indeed, officially raised at the appropriate level at the meeting of the ministers for foreign affairs of Slovakia and Russia, Miroslav Lajcák and Sergei Lavrov. The Slovak foreign minister was a part of the official delegation of Mr Fico. – Yours, etc,
Ambassador
DUSAN MATULAY,
Embassy of the
Slovak Republic,
80 Merrion Square South,
Dublin 2 .