Mayor Veronika Kellerova: Lidice, Khojaly not sister cities, no street named Khojaly in Lidice
Mayor of Czech town Lidice Veronika Kellerova refuted the Azerbaijani media reports on declaring Lidice and Khojaly sister cities as well as naming a street in Lidice after Khojaly in 2010 on the initiative of the Azerbaijani community in Czech Republic. The Azerbaijani media cited the Azer-Czech Society and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Czech Republic.
In this connection, the Orer Czech magazine sent an inquiry to the Mayor’s Office of Lidice. Mayor Veronika Kellerova refuted Azerbaijani media reports and announced officially that Lidice and Khojaly are not sister cities and no street in Lidice has been named after Khojaly.
We will remind that in 2010 the Armenian side expressed protest over inadmissibility of holding Azerbaijani propaganda events in Lidice. As a result of the intervention of the Armenian Embassy and representatives of the Armenian community of Czech Republic, Czech Minister of Culture Václav Riedlbauch refused to participate in the Azerbaijani event, which was frustrated, and director of Lidice Memorial Complex Milos Chervenchl stated that “it doesn’t become Lidice Memorial Complex to solve political issues.” The Azerbaijani side was banned from using Lidice Memorial for anti-Armenian propaganda.
However, this did not restrain the Azerbaijanis, and they kept on exploiting the topic painful for Czechs, this time in Prague streets, which also aroused the indignation of the Czech society. The “tragedy fair” in Prague featured posters inscribed “Lidice 1942. Khojaly 1992.”
Below we present an eloquent interview with famous Czech TV journalist and public figure, former representative of organization Man in Trouble Jaromir Stetina, currently a Senator, who visited Karabakh many times during the war.