NEWS

Friends of Slovakia and the Slovak American Society of Washington, D.C. look forward to seeing you at our Annual Picnic on Sunday, May 19, 2024! Time: 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Location: Arlington Knights of Columbus, 5115 Little Falls Road, Arlington, VA 22207 Cost: $15 per person (high-school age and above). Children younger than high school […]

In partnership with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Washington, D.C., and the Slovak American Society of Washington, D.C. (SASW), Friends of Slovakia hosted the second event in Slovakia@30 Series, a conversation on “30 Years of Slovak Domestic Politics” with Dr. Kevin Deegan-Krause, Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University. Kevin Deegan-Krause is the […]

Friends of Slovakia expresses its full support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and for the freedom and democratic aspirations of the Ukrainian people. We strongly condemn Russia’s unjustified military invasion of Ukraine and support current and future actions by the United States, the European Union, and international institutions to hold Russia’s […]

A delegation of Friends of Slovakia Board Members led by chairman Scott N. Thayer traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to participate in events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the building dedication of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML).

“In our self-absorption over contemporary assaults on our freedom — political and medical — we in the United States seem to have entirely overlooked this seminal event which continues to shape our lives today. We should never forget the core lessons from that time — the importance of allies who share our values and the […]

At a conference held on July 17-18 in Washington, the Atlantic Council, a major U.S.-based foreign policy think tank, and GLOBSEC, a Bratislava-based security and foreign policy think tank, announced a collaboration to address current issues focusing on the central European region. At the two-day conference entitled, The United States and Central Europe: Celebrating Europe […]

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 had a significant impact on Eastern Europe’s political scene. In Czechoslovakia, the Communist regime was replaced by a democratic revolution, which was led by student movements and dissidents. November 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, a non-violent transition of power with demonstrations against the […]

President Andrej Kiska delivered a speech at the annual GLOBSEC Bratislava Global Security Forum on Friday. He reflected on his recent attendance at the NATO summit in Brussels, which was the first summit of heads of states and governments with the new US President in attendance. He expressed his relief that the transatlantic bond between […]

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 […]

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 […]