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Lunch for Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic

FOS and the Embassy of Slovakia co-hosted a luncheon onWednesday, October 8 at the Washington Golf & Country Club for President Ivan Gasparovic and First Lady Silvia Gasparovic and a distinguished Slovak delegation. The Slovak president was in Washington leading a delegation of Slovak government officials for a meeting with President Bush on October 9 and with other high-level U.S. government officials later in the week.

Present at the luncheon were Slovak Foreign Minister Ján Kubis, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Róbert Kalinak, Minister of Culture Marek Madaric, U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Vincent Obsitnik, Slovak Ambassador to the U.N. Peter Burian and acting Chargé d'Affaires at the Slovak Embassy Andrej Droba along with other Slovak officials. Representing the FOS Board of Directors was Ambassador Ted Russell, Joe Senko, Julie Slavik, Kenneth Bombara and Bill Tucker. Ambassador Julian M. Niemczyk and Juraj Slavik, Members of the FOS Board of Advisors, were also present.

The activities of FOS were discussed during the luncheon and the President in his remarks thanked FOS for its work in building stronger relations between the U.S. and Slovakia. President Gasparovic and the government ministers present at the luncheon expressed positive interest in FOS's plan to host another gala dinner in Bratislava in November 2009 celebrating visa free travel for Slovaks to the US, Slovakia's economic progress and entry into the Euro zone.

At the conclusion of the luncheon, FOS presented one of its Medals of Honor to both the president and his wife. FOS also presented Mrs. Gasparovic with a $500 donation for the foundation in Slovakia that bears her name.