Monday, 12 May 2008

Lichtenstein versus Czech Republic and Slovakia

Apparently, the state of Lichtenstein in Europe refuses to acknowledge the existence of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and they in turn refuse to recognise Lichtenstein. It all stems from the Second World War, where the Czechs and Slovaks allege the Prince of Lichtenstein profited from an arrangement with the Nazis. So when the war was over, and Czechoslovakia (at the time) was freed from Nazi Germany, to be swallowed by Mother Russia, the government confiscated all of the Prince's property in their country. And also barred Liechtensteiners from entering the country during the Cold War, I suppose in case they tried to mount a Nazi insurrection in order to reclaim the Prince's lands. Lichtenstein did not take kindly to this behaviour (and also allege that the property - 1,600 km² of land - was seized in 1918, whilst Czechs and Slovaks put the date at 1948), and refuses to have any diplomatic relations with the two countries, the former Czechoslovakia treating Lichtenstein as it is treated.

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