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Gala Dinner 2005

Friends of Slovakia hosted its second Gala Dinner for 200 guests in Bratislava on November 9 at the Radisson Carlton SAS Hotel. The evening's theme was in celebration of Slovakia's economic progress and its status as an exporter of democracy, and this was reflected in the evening's keynotes speeches and award recipients. Jan Surotchak, FOS Chairman, and Bill Tucker, Vice Chairman, were dinner co-chairs.

Ingrid Aielli, a Slovak-American and member of the FOS Board of Directors, opened the evening with moving remarks about the success she and her husband have found in the U.S. after she left Slovakia in 1989, not knowing whether the country's borders to the west would remain open. Ms. Aielli then praised Slovakia for all the progress it has made since the fall of the communist leadership and shared her hope that Slovaks will take advantage of their new opportunities.

Lord George Robertson, the immediate past secretary general of NATO and former British Minister of Defense, delivered a wonderfully humorous but poignant keynote address about Slovakia's new position in NATO, the EU and how far this new country has come in a mere 13 years. Dressed in a unique tuxedo with tartan trousers (a very proud Scotsman), Lord Robertson, in true British style, peppered his remarks with humorous anecdotes and stories that had the dinner guests laughing throughout his address.

John Surma, President & CEO of U.S. Steel was the second keynoter. He stressed the economic reforms that have been made in Slovakia and how this has led to greater foreign direct investment and job creation. He also emphasized U.S. Steel's continued confidence in Slovakia as a great place to do business. His complete speech is available for download (MS Word 36kB)

Other honored guests at the gala dinner included Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, Chairman of the Slovak National Council Pavol Hrusovsky, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ivan Miklos, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Kukan and former Slovak President and Mrs. Michal Kovac. Rastislav Kacer, Slovak Ambassador to the U.S., Rodolphe "Skip" Vallee, U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, and Julie Finley, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also participated in the dinner. Ambassadors Kacer and Finley are members of the FOS Board of Directors and Board of Advisors respectively.

The following members of the FOS Board of Directors and Board of Advisors were also present at the gala dinner: Joe Senko, FOS Treasurer; Julie Slavik, FOS Secretary; former Slovak Ambassadors to the U.S. Martin Butora and Branislav Lichardus; and Juraj Slavik. Friends of Slovakia presented well-deserved awards to these recipients:

• The Honorable Pavol Hrusovsky, Chairman of the Slovak National Council, received the 2005 Politics Award following an introduction by Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda.
• The Honorable Eduard Kukan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, received the FOS Diplomacy Award.
• The 2005 Economics Award was presented to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ivan Miklos.
• The 2005 Business Award was presented to Robert Simoncic, General Manager of Microsoft Slovakia and President of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia.
• The 2005 Culture and Sports Award was presented to Peter Bondra, a Slovak professional hockey player who plays in the U.S. National Hockey League. Unfortunately Mr. Bondra could not accept in person.His award was accepted by Jan Filc on his behalf.

The gala dinner was planned with the able assistance of an organizing committee; Russell Preston of Boeing International Corporation, Milan Filo of Eco-Invest, a.s., and Robert Simoncic of Microsoft Slovakia were Dinner Organizing Committee co-chairs.

The gala dinner received a significant amount of coverage in the Slovak press with articles in the Slovak Spectator, SME and other publications. In fact, immediately preceding the dinner Slovak television conducted a short interview with both Lord Robertson and Bill Tucker.