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FOS Events & News
Rasťo Kužel
Rasťo Kužel, Executive Director of Memo 98, delivered the 2023 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 17, 2023 at the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Washington, D.C. Mr. Kužel discussed importance of free and fair elections for democracy in light of the recent outcomes in Slovakia and Poland and ahead of the US races in 2024.
17
Nov
2023
By Friends of Slovakia
presentation
Miloslav Stašek
Miloslav Stašek, current Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States, delivered the 2022 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 15, 2022 at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, DC. Ambassador Stašek discussed the current conflict in Ukraine and its devastating impact on peace and stability in Europe and beyond.
15
Nov
2022
By Friends of Slovakia
webinar
Beata Balogová
Beata Balogová, editor-in-chief of SME, a major daily and news site in Slovakia, delivered the 2021 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 17, 2021. Her lecture, presented virtually from Bratislava due to covid-19 travel restrictions, was entitled “How Journalists Survived Backsliding and State Capture.” Her talk combined a history of threats to press freedoms during the Mečiar and Fico years in Slovakia, a personal account of her decision to become a journalist, and a warning that democratic institutions are again under attack in Central Europe.
17
Nov
2021
By Friends of Slovakia
webinar
FOS Celebrates Women’s Leadership in Slovak Foreign Policy Making
The 2019 election of Zuzana Čaputová as the first female president of the Slovak Republic brought increased visibility to the country, especially in the realm of foreign policy. While there is still room for greater participation, a growing number of women in Slovakia now occupy senior positions in influencing, planning, and conducting Slovakia’s foreign relations. […]
15
Oct
2021
By Thomas W. Skladony
webinar
Tomáš Cihlář
Dr. Tomáš Cihlář, an internationally recognized Czech biochemist, delivered the Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 18, 2020. His lecture was entitled “The Role of Czech and International Scientists in the Fight Against the Pandemic” and focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and global efforts to combat it.
18
Nov
2020
By Friends of Slovakia
webinar
Freedom Lecture and Related Events in Washington Commemorate the Velvet Revolution’s 30th Anniversary
November 2019 marked the 30th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent events that brought freedom from communist domination to many countries of the former “Soviet-bloc.” In Czechoslovakia, public demonstrations, spearheaded by student movements, sparked the relatively peaceful downfall of the communist government and began the country’s “return to the West,” […]
18
Jan
2020
By Friends of Slovakia
webinar
Katarína Csefálvayová and Simon Panek
Katarína Cséfalvayová & Simon Panek delivered the 2019 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 13, 2019. This special double-lecture event lecture was entitled “30 Years of Czech and Slovak Freedom,” commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which saw the return of freedom and democracy to both countries on November 17, 1989. Katarína […]
13
Nov
2019
By Friends of Slovakia
webinar
Mikuláš Dzurinda
Mikuláš Dzurinda, former Slovak Prime Minister (1998-2006) delivered the 2018 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 16, 2018. This lecture was entitled “Miracles in the Heart of Europe,” celebrating the governmental reforms that enabled Slovakia to enter NATO and the European Union in 2004.
16
Nov
2018
By Friends of Slovakia
webinar
CEPA Forum 2017 in Washington DC Examines Atlanticism in a Time of Change
The annual transatlantic security conference organized by the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) has become the leading event in Washington D.C. focused on issues in Central and Eastern Europe. The theme of this year’s CEPA Forum 2017 was “Preserving Atlanticism in a Time of Change,” and was held on September 21-22 in Washington, D.C. […]
04
Oct
2017
By Friends of Slovakia
Announcement
Tomáš Halík
Msgr. Tomáš Halík delivered the 2015 Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. In his lecture titled “Long Period of Healing,” Msgr. Halík emphasized the vital role of religion in the transition from Communism to Democracy.
20
Nov
2015
By Friends of Slovakia
webinar