H.E. Mr. Igor Pokojný:

I will try to explain it through the history of Czechoslovakia. The Deputy will be aware that we are quite a young country. Like Ireland, Slovakia is 100 years old. In 2018, we celebrated 100 years since the establishment of Czechoslovakia, by which I mean the first independent state of Czechs and Slovaks. As Slovakia, we are independent from 1993.

If the Deputy remembers 1968, Czechoslovakia was an independent country. During the Second World War, it was liberated by the Soviet army. Until 1947, Czechoslovakia was not a communist or socialist country but then there were elections and Czechoslovakia became some kind of communist country at the time. Nevertheless, Czechoslovakia tried to get out from under the influence of the Soviet Union in 1968 and we were invaded by Soviet troops and by troops from the Warsaw Pact. I am saying this only to explain that we are really very sensitive to what is going on now in Ukraine. We are not alone in having experienced this. For example, in 1956, Hungary was in the same situation. Poland was also in this situation. The struggle to get out from under the influence of the former Soviet Union was experienced by all countries and this applies to Ukraine as well.

We were in a better situation after 1989, following the fall of communism in central and eastern Europe. Ukraine was not so fortunate because Ukraine stayed under the influence of Russia. This resulted in the annexation of Crimea and of Abkhazia. One can see there are spots, or countries, that Russia has invaded or that are under Russian influence - to check on or control what is going on in these countries. I am talking not only about Ukraine but about Georgia and the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, which, in English, is called Transnistria. One can see that these attempts by Russia or some forces in Russia to control or to check neighbouring countries is still going on and these countries are trying to get rid of this influence.

I could not believe Russia would do something like this - a military invasion to bomb a neighbouring country - especially as Russians and Ukrainians fought for freedom together in the Second World War. Czechoslovakia was liberated not only by the Russian army. It was the Soviet army consisting of soldiers from all the former Soviet republics - the Baltic states, Ukraine, Georgia.

I am not sure if this is enough.