Morning News: Thursday, September 1, 2022

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• Czech President Milos Zeman signed the ratification documents on the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. The lower and upper houses of Czech parliament approved the NATO enlargement by the two countries in the past weeks. Both Nordic countries filed their request for NATO accession in early July due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, thus deciding to end their neutrality.

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• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has bestowed the Order of Princess Olga, 2nd class, on Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova for her contribution to enhancing interstate cooperation and support for the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Zelenskiy also bestowed the Order of Merit, 1st class, on Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.

 

• Czech politicians have hailed former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in Moscow late on Tuesday aged 91, as one of the key figures of the 20th century who contributed to the collapse of communism. Gorbachev was inspired by the Prague Spring communist reform movement from 1968. He gave the hope of freedom to people in the Soviet Union, said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky (Pirates).