Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek attended a memorial ceremony honoring dead Czech and foreign soldiers on Saturday as part of the 60th anniversary marking the end of World War Two at the Olsany cemetery in Prague.
Also present on the occasion were World War Two veterans, other Czech politicians, representatives of the military and foreign delegations.
The first stop was at the 264 graves of British, Polish, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand airman, sailors and soldiers who died fighting to liberate Czechoslovakia or in war camp prisons.
The next stop was the graves and monument to Soviet soldiers where members of delegations from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine paid their respects.
The event then moved to a monument to Bulgarian troops and to the monument to the Prague Uprising.
"After 60 years, I am surprised to find that one-third of people in polls say that the war is only a distant ripple in their memories," Paroubek said.
He added that it is important to remember the war and its victims "because World War Two was a war for civilization, a fight for democracy and preserving the fundamental values of civilization."
Paroubek also praised Czechoslovak troops who fought in foreign armies. "It was a massive contribution to our statehood that we had important representation in foreign forces both in the west and in the west. This was important in the development of our country," Paroubek said.