The Friends of Slovakia, together with The Embassy of the Slovak Republic to the United States, The American Friends of the Czech Republic, and The Embassy of the Czech Republic to the United States, co-organized the 2024 Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 14th in Washington, DC, hosted by the Hudson Institute. Titled “The Future: On Energy, Change, Innovation, and Democracy,” the lecture featured two distinguished speakers, Senator Miroslav Bárta and Colonel Otakar Foltýn, who explored the interplay between energy policy, technological innovation, and resilience of democratic governance. Peter Rough, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, moderated the discussion.
The Annual Freedom Lecture is a prestigious annual event organized by Friends of Slovakia, American Friends of the Czech Republic (AFOCR), the Embassy of the Slovak Republic, and the Embassy of the Czech Republic. It has been running since 2000 and is the longest-running program sponsored by Friends of Slovakia. It invites accomplished and prestigious speakers to deliver remarks on the journey of the Czech and Slovak republics towards freedom, security, rule of law, and market economy. Visit the Annual Freedom Lecture series archive to explore the remarkable contribution of our distinguished guests over the past 24 years.