NEWS

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. 

Former Economic Advisor to President Havel, 2008 candidate for President of the Czech Republic, and Professor of Global Political Economy at Columbia University Jan Svejnar gave the 2017 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture at the Wilson Center on November 7. Friends of Slovakia co-sponsored the lecture with The American Friends of the Czech Republic and […]

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.

The Slovak AeroMobil was presented to an appreciative audience at the Slovak Embassy EU Open House on May 9 by Peter Kolesár of the Business and Innovation Unit. Friends of Slovakia procured a scale model of the AeroMobil and will sponsor its display for the next three years as part of a traveling exhibit aimed […]

As the world’s economies seek economic growth and jobs, emphasis is increasingly placed on the key role played by innovation.  A recent Washington Post op-ed by Fareed Zakaria noted, “Innovation is partly about entrepreneurship but also about technology.”  And there are some, such as billionaire Peter Thiel, who argue that, despite the hype, we don’t […]

Michael Žantovský, a distinguished Czech politician, writer, and diplomat, delivered the 2013 Czech and Slovak Annual Freedom Lecture titled “The Uncertainty of Freedom, and the Freedom of Uncertainty” at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. on November 12.

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 […]

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 […]

Slovakia has made significant progress in transitioning from being part of a socialist, pro-Soviet republic to an independent, democratic nation. However, there is still much hard work ahead, as highlighted in the 2010 Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture by Prime Minister Iveta Radičová.