NEWS

Friends of Slovakia mourn the passing of former Amb. Branislav Lichardus, on February 8 at the age of 88.  Dr. Lichardus, a noted medical doctor and researcher, became the first Slovak ambassador to the U.S. following Slovakia’s independence in 1993.  He served successfully in Washington from 1994-1998, a particularly challenging time for the U.S. – […]

Slovakia is celebrating two significant anniversaries this year. It has been 100 years since the establishment of Czechoslovakia and 25 years since the existence of the Slovak Republic. These historic milestones are the result of a strong and friendly relationship between our countries and people. We will always be grateful for the contribution of Slovak […]

Friends of Slovakia invited former Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda to present the 2018 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture at the Woodrow  Wilson  Center. The lecture was entitled “Miracles in the Heart of Europe.” The transcript of the former Prime Minister’s optimistic and visionary presentation is below. FOS hopes you will enjoy it as much […]

The German Marshall Fund organized a roundtable discussion on September 21, 2018, in Washington, DC, titled “Trends in Central Europe: Addressing Liberal Democracy.” The former Slovak Ambassador to the U.S., Rastislav Káčer, who served from 2003-2008, was the main speaker at the event. Currently, Amb. Káčer is the Chairman of GLOBSEC, a non-governmental organization that […]

Ivan Korčok, the Slovak Ambassador to the USA, was awarded the Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Award at the NATO Days in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on September 16, 2018. Ian Brzezinski, son of US foreign policy legend Zbigniew Brzezinski, presented the award to Amb. Korčok in recognition of his many years of efforts in supporting transatlantic […]

On May 19, Slovak Ambassador to Washington Peter Kmec was honored at a farewell reception hosted by FOS Treasurer Dr. Eva Jenkins and her husband Robert. The event was held at their home in Great Falls with 40 guests attending, including members of FOS and the Slovak American Society of Washington. The guests enjoyed American […]

On May 4th, Ambassador Ted Russell (Ret.) spoke at the Slovak Embassy about his experiences as Deputy Chief of Mission in Czechoslovakia during and after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. He also spoke about his role as the first U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia after the 1993 Velvet Divorce. During his speech, he discussed the involvement of […]

Dr. Leff gave a talk on April 21 about the Warsaw Pact invasion of 1968 and the impact of Czechoslovak institutional relations. She discussed the federalization that survived the Prague Spring and how it influenced events in 1989 and the Velvet Divorce. Dr. Leff also talked about the roles of Dubček, Husák, and Biľak in […]

A wreath-laying ceremony was held on March 8 commemorating the 168th anniversary of the birth of the first President of Czechoslovakia, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk.  Remarks were made by Czech Ambassador Hynek Kmonicek, Slovak Ambassador Peter Kmec, AFoCR President Tom Dine, and FOS Founding Chairman Ted Russell. Czech Embassy Cultural Attache Sarka Vamberova concluded the ceremony by […]

2018 marks a special anniversary year for Slovakia, with celebrations commemorating the events of 100, 50, and 25 years ago. On January 19, the Slovak Embassy in Washington, D.C. kicked off the year’s celebrations with a special reception held in the ornate Members’ Room of the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill. The focus of […]