President Komorowski takes part in Velvet Revolution tribute

Czech President Milos Zeman, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska, Hungarian President Janos Ader and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko pose for photographers before Meeting of the V4 Presidents and Ukraine in Bratislava, Slovakia 16 November 2014. Photo: PAP/Jacek Turczyk

The day’s programme included a meeting at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava and a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to the Candle Demonstration, held in the city on 25 March 1988.

Organized by Roman Catholic dissent groups in defence of religious freedom, it was the first mass demonstration against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia since the Prague Spring.

While in Bratislava, the presidents of the Visegrad Group – that is Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary – met with President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine to discuss the current situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border and the prospects for ending the crisis. The Polish president has also had a one on one meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.

On Monday, the leaders of Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany will take part in the commemoration of the Velvet Revolution in Prague. Mr Komorowski will visit the grave of President Vaclav Havel and meet representatives of the Polish community in the Czech Republic.

Over the past few months, the presidents from these five countries took part in the events commemorating the 25th anniversary of the collapse of communism in Warsaw, Budapest and Leipzig. (mk)