New York, Sept 29 (CTK special correspondent) – Czech President Milos Zeman and Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka paid respect to the victims of the terrorist attacks from September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site in New York yesterday.
Each of the politicians visited the memorial site separately.
“Terrorism that looks down on human lives is an attack against the values shared by the whole civilised world,” Sobotka said at the site according to his statement available to CTK.
Such tragedies can be kept from happening again only by international cooperation in the security sphere, but also in the prevention of radicalisation and extremism, Sobotka said.
Zeman laid flowers to the name of the Czech victim, Lukas Rambousek.
Rambousek’s father said he was glad to meet Zeman. He said he considered Zeman’s visit to the memorial the first great recognition.
Zeman also paid respect to the memory of Alena Sesinova, another victim with Czech roots, who died in the collapsed North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Zeman met New York firefighters who played the crucial role in the rescue effort after the 2001 attacks.
He gave to the firefighters a picture of a memorial to the 343 American firefighters who died in the rescue effort, which was built in Prague five years ago, and a statuette of Saint Florian, patron of the firefighters.
Zeman received a sword, a shoulder mark and a baseball cap and a memorial coin from the New York firefighters.
Zeman will address the United Nations General Assembly in the afternoon, local time. In his address, Zeman will call for the formation of an international front that would fight the Islamic State organisation and terrorists in general.
Sobotka participated in the annual U.N. General Assembly session as well.
