News
FOS Events & News
Register by April 15th for the Economic Summit at NCSML: Building Transatlantic Partnerships
Join Friends of Slovakia (FOS) at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a momentous Economic Summit on Thursday and Friday, May 2-3, 2024. This unique forum, co-organized by the FOS, will bring together delegations from the USA, Czech Republic, and Slovakia to discuss the consequences of modern […]
02
Apr
2024
By Friends of Slovakia
roundtable
The 2023 Annual Freedom Lecture: Free And Fair Elections In The New Democracy Age
The Friends of Slovakia, together with The Embassy of the Slovak Republic to the United States, The Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, The American Friends of the Czech Republic, The Embassy of the Czech Republic to the United States, and The Transatlantic Democracy Working Group organized the […]
17
Nov
2023
By Friends of Slovakia
networking
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
FOS Ready to Launch Its Third Student Summit on Challenges of Democracy
The Friends of Slovakia (FOS) International Student Summits are off and running! Two successful virtual summits were held in 2021 and a third summit will occur in April 2022. All three events address the theme, “Challenges of Democracy.” The students, faculty, and expert guest speakers from past summits have all participated virtually due to covid-19 restrictions and will continue to do so for the third Student Summit.
17
Mar
2022
By Thomas W. Skladony
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
Strengthening Democracy, Unity, and Transatlantic Cooperation in 2021 and Beyond
The German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Embassy of Slovakia to the United States hosted a conversation with Karen Donfried, President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and Ivan Korčok, foreign minister of the Republic of Slovakia, on Slovakia’s emerging leading voice in Europe, including in the European Union […]
04
Dec
2020
By Friends of Slovakia
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
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