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On the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Sts. Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs of Great Moravia the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in cooperation with Friends of Slovakia organizes an exhibit on their lives and works and a photo lecture by Pavol Demeš. The opening of the exhibit will take […]

Friends of Slovakia was able to sponsor five very deserving Slovak Scholars to attend one of the Fund for American Studies (TFAS) summer institutes in Washington, DC at George Mason University. To honor these students and introduce them to FOS members and the embassy staff, Amb. Peter Kmec and FOS co-hosted a luncheon at the […]

TWO IMPORTANT EVENTS – ONE DATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013 PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE ANNUAL FREEDOM LECTURE AND THE FIFTH ANNUAL SLOVAK-AMERICAN AWARDS DINNER. NOON at the Wilson Center, Reagan Building: Pavol Demeš, former Minister of International Relations and foreign policy advisor to the first Slovak President will focus on the Velvet […]

On Friday, June 14, Friends of Slovakia (FOS) hosted the fourth Slovak-American Awards Dinner at the Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. The event was a black-tie gala celebration of the 20th anniversary of Slovak independence and friendly ties with the United States. The dinner was attended by approximately 110 guests, who enjoyed […]

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.