President: Increasing Military Spending Not Way to Ease Tensions

        Vysny Komarnik, 3 October (TASR) - In his speech at the celebrations marking the 82nd anniversary of the Carpathian-Dukla Operation, President Peter Pellegrini pointed out that increasing armaments and escalating various provocations is not the way to ease tensions, but rather to further escalate them.
        The head of state also highlighted the war in Ukraine, during which, he said, tens of thousands of young men on both sides are dying every month at the same age at which many of their ancestors fell at Dukla.
        "I'm firmly convinced that every single heroic deed and every single life lost was sacrificed in the hope that their children and future generations would never again experience the horrors of war," he said, speaking of the heroism of the soldiers in the Valley of Death at Dukla. In his view, the two hostile states to the east of us are currently unable to reach agreement even on a ceasefire and a truce, during which, he believes, they could return to diplomatic negotiations.
        "I'm deeply sorry that, gradually, the only solution the international community is offering us for this conflict is to arm ourselves even more, to fight even more and to die even more," he stated, adding that the memory of the young lives lost at Dukla obliges the whole of Europe to seek a peaceful resolution to the five-year war in Ukraine.
        Pellegrini also emphasised that people are observing how, in recent weeks and months, there has been, in his view, an increasing and more open discussion of the possibility of a conflict between the NATO and Russia. According to the president, the language used by diplomats is becoming harsher and the atmosphere is beginning to resemble the situation prior to major world conflicts in the past. He views talk of armament with concern. In his view, increasing armament and escalating various provocations is not the way to ease tensions, but rather to escalate them further.
        The president urged us not to forget the real reason for which heroes laid down their lives - peace, calm and security.