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You know what happened, you know, in 1938: France, England, you know, just sold out Czechoslovakia to Hitler.

I just happen to know quite a lot of what happened in Czechoslovakia between 1968 and the fall of Communism.

I am just sorry my own mother had to live under that regime for most of her life. I was lucky. I got out and, 14 years later, Czechoslovakia became a free country. So I feel anger, even fury, at this bloody system that ruined so many people's lives for no reason whatsoever.

I escaped from my home country, Bulgaria, to Czechoslovakia and then to the West.

By the time I returned to Czechoslovakia, I had an understanding of the principles of the market.

I'm a Slovak. And when I was growing up, I believed that I was Czechoslovakian because of what Russia did. They came in and took two separate countries - Slovakia and the Czech Republic - put them together as one.

I still speak Czech with my parents because I was born there.

Through the inspiration of Vaclav's words, the courage of his dissidence and the integrity of his leadership, Czechoslovakia successfully transitioned from an authoritarian state to a free democracy at the heart of Europe.

My parents were of the generation who thought they were the children of a free Czechoslovakia, the only democracy in central Europe.

My mum was born in the former Czechoslovakia, and even though my grandparents weren't wealthy, they were aristocrats in their time.