U.S. Relations with Central Europe: Love and Reason
17th Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture
Keynote:
Ambassador Rastislav K谩膷er
Slovak Ambassador to Hungary
Ambassador K谩膷er is superbly qualified to comment on U.S. relations with Central Europe given his key role in negotiating Slovakia鈥檚 entry into NATO, his expertise on Transatlantic defense and security issues and his experience as Slovak Ambassador to Hungary.
Ambassador Rastislav K谩膷er was appointed to serve as the Slovak Ambassador to Hungary in October 2013. He is also the honorary president of the GLOBSEC (an NGO/Think Tank). Before his Budapest diplomatic tour he was the president of the Slovak Atlantic Commission (a member of the Atlantic Treaty Association) and the Vice President of the Atlantic Treaty Association in Brussels. He is publicly recognized as an expert on Transatlantic Relations and Defense and Security Issues. From 2008-2013 he also worked as the Special Advisor of FIPRA Slovakia overseeing assignments in Strategic Government Relations for Foreign Investors, Governments and International Institutions. He was a member of the Defense Policy and Procurement Working Group within FIPRA Global Practice Group. Prior to the summer of 2008 Rastislav K谩膷er served at different levels of the Slovak government for 16 years. He started his career in 1992 as a policy analyst at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later he became the Head of Analytical Unit. Between 1994 and 1998 he was a liaison officer/diplomat at NATO HQ in Brussels. After his return from Brussels he served as a head of Policy Planning Staff and the Director General for Security Policy and Multilateral Affairs. In 2001 he became the State Secretary at the Ministry of Defense responsible for negotiations and accession process of Slovakia to NATO. As his last assignment with the government he represented Slovakia as the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in the USA from 2003 to 2008. Rastislav is married and has two children, he speaks Slovak, English, French and Russian. In his free time he is interested in gastronomy, photography and outdoor sports.
This lecture is made possible with the support of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic, the Embassy of the Czech Republic, Friends of Slovakia and the American Friends of the Czech Republic.
Event Sponsors
Hosted By
Global Europe Program
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe鈥檚 capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe鈥檚 relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include 鈥淯kraine in Europe鈥濃攁n examination of what it will take to make Ukraine鈥檚 European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe鈥檚 energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program鈥檚 staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more