NEWS

At a recent reception at the Slovak Embassy in Washington D.C., Joseph Senko of Pittsburgh, PA was awarded the Medal of the President of the Slovak Republic for extraordinary merit in the development of friendly relations with the Slovak Republic, as well as for promoting Slovakia throughout the world. This is the highest award that […]

A Country Lost, Then Found by Rick Zednik is a touching account of his Slovak family, with a special focus on his father, Juraj “Jay” Zednik. Jay was lucky to be out of Czechoslovakia when the Warsaw Pact troops invaded in 1968. He sought asylum in West Germany and eventually settled in the US, where […]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate our ally and friend, the Republic of Slovakia, on her 20th anniversary of independence. In two brief decades, Slovakia has dramatically transitioned to an independent, democratic, and economically viable free nation. As some of my colleagues may know, my great grandparents emigrated from Slovakia to the United States […]

John Palka, scion of one of the most distinguished families in the history of Slovakia, has written a masterful account of Slovakia’s history. The Hodža and Palka families played a significant role in Slovakia’s history. John Palka’s mother was the daughter of Milan Hodža, the last prime minister of interwar Czechoslovakia. Mr. Palka attended the […]

Martin Bútora, who served as the Slovak ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2003 and was one of the key figures behind the Freedom Lecture Series, delivered the 2012 Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 16. A capacity crowd filled the Woodrow Wilson Center auditorium to hear his reflections on “20 Years of Independence: Reflections on Freedom and Democracy.” Following the lecture, Joe Senko, the Chairman of Friends of Slovakia, and Ted Russell, the Founding Chairman Ambassador presented Ambassador Bútora with the FOS Medal of Honor. Tom Dine, the President of American Friends of the Czech Republic, then presented the speaker with a Certificate of Appreciation.

FOS hosted a gala dinner for Martin and Zora Bútora on November 16, 2012 at the Washington Golf & Country Club following his presentation of the Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture at the Wilson Center in Washington. Among the 48 guests were Slovak Ambassador Peter Kmec, Czech Ambassador Petr Gandalovič, Martin Palous, former Permanent […]

Martin Bútora, former Slovak ambassador to the United States, delivered the 13th Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 16, 2012. He was introduced by Wilson Center Executive Vice President and COO Michael Van Dusen. A capacity audience filled the Woodrow Wilson Center auditorium to hear his thoughts on “20 Years of Independence: Reflections […]

The Friends of Slovakia and Ambassador Peter Kmec co-hosted a reception and book launch on November 15th for Pavol Demes’ latest book, which explores Slovak-American relations. The event was attended by a large audience, including many members of Friends of Slovakia and Wendy Luers, who played a significant role in strengthening Slovak civil society. Ambassador […]

The Slovak honorary consuls in the United States were honored to join Amb. Peter Burian, now State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, in presenting the first annual Ambassador Peter Burian Roma Scholarship in Bratislava. The 2012 scholarship was awarded to Mr. Vladimir Gaspar, who will be studying […]

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