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Czechs, Slovaks Irked by Russian Revisions on 1968 Invasion


FILE - Czech youngsters holding Czechoslovakian flags stand atop an overturned truck as other Prague residents surround Soviet tanks on Aug. 21, 1968, as an invasion by the Warsaw Pact armies crushed the so-called Prague Spring reform in former Czechoslovakia 30 year ago.
FILE - Czech youngsters holding Czechoslovakian flags stand atop an overturned truck as other Prague residents surround Soviet tanks on Aug. 21, 1968, as an invasion by the Warsaw Pact armies crushed the so-called Prague Spring reform in former Czechoslovakia 30 year ago.

The Czech and Slovak governments have criticized what they see as historical revisionism by Russia about the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

The Czech Foreign Ministry said Monday a draft amendment to Russia's law on veterans states troops participated in the invasion to suppress "an attempted coup" and to stabilize the political situation in Czechoslovakia.

Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia in August 1968 to crush political reforms and anti-Communist protests during the era known as the Prague Spring.

The Foreign Ministry says the invasion violated international law and was opposed by Czechoslovak leaders and a majority of citizens.

Slovakia's prime minister, Peter Pellegrini, is preparing for a trip to Russia and said the proposed legal revisions "do not contribute to the mutual trust and good cooperation between the nations."

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