Slovak prime minister has said his country will be the bloc’s lone representative at China’s WWII commemoration
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticized other EU countries for skipping China’s World War II commemoration events, calling their absence “embarrassing.”
Fico made the remarks before arriving in Beijing on Tuesday, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other world leaders. China will stage a grand Victory Parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of Imperial Japan’s surrender.
The Slovak leader stressed the importance of honoring every “single victim of the struggle against fascism,” adding that he does not understand why Slovakia is the only EU member represented in Beijing.
He argued that a “new world order” is taking shape, with fresh rules and a new balance of power that he described as vital for global stability. Joining such discussions, he said, means encouraging dialogue rather than “playing the role of an offended little child,” a stance he accused EU leaders of taking.
Fico will join dozens of foreign leaders at the commemorations, including Putin, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Earlier this year, Fico and Vucic traveled to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day parade on Red Square, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany – a move that drew sharp criticism from some Western officials.
China’s war with Imperial Japan, which began in 1937, is estimated to have claimed 15 to 20 million lives, including both soldiers from rival communist and nationalist forces as well as civilians. The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million troops and civilians defeating Nazi Germany.
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