The Prague Society for International Cooperation is a Prague-based non-governmental organization that originated in communist Central Europe, when political dissidents joined forces to oppose their respective regimes. Though several of its members were imprisoned during the communist era, the Prague Society officially became a registered NGO under President Václav Havel in 1997. Today’s iteration of the organization has inherited much from its years of inception both in its mission and its methodology. In continually promoting a socratic exchange of ideas, the organization works to curtail threads of corruption and abuse within Central Europe.
The organization brings people together to share knowledge and experiences, and develop a new generation of responsible, well-informed leaders and thinkers in Central Europe. It aims to promote a global approach to business, politics, and academia through transparent networking and off the record dialogue.
The Prague Society works in conjunction with the Global Panel Foundation with which it hosts the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award, given annually since the year 2000, to honour dedication to and achievement in public service [1] particularly in Central Europe. Due to its unorthodox methods, the Society has attracted and retained many international ties around the world. In addition to its international endeavours, the Prague Society also publishes a newsletter that is distributed to the local population in the Czech Republic and other international publications. [2]
The Czech Republic is a Central European country, a member of the European Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations. It entertains diplomatic relations with 191 countries of the world, around half of which maintain a resident embassy in the Czech capital city, Prague.
Václav Havel was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright and dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 31 December, before he became the first president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He was the first democratically elected president of either country after the fall of communism. As a writer of Czech literature, he is known for his plays, essays and memoirs.
Věra Čáslavská was a Czechoslovak artistic gymnast and Czech sports official. She won a total of 22 international titles between 1959 and 1968 including seven Olympic gold medals, four world titles and eleven European championships. Čáslavská is the most decorated Czech gymnast in history and is one of only two female gymnasts, along with Soviet Larisa Latynina, to win the all-around gold medal at two consecutive Olympics. She remains the only gymnast, male or female, to have won an Olympic gold medal in each individual event.
Wesley Kanne Clark is a retired United States Army officer. He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He later graduated from the Command and General Staff College with a master's degree in military science. He spent 34 years in the U.S. Army, receiving many military decorations, several honorary knighthoods, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Clark served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000, commanding Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo War.
Ken'ichiro Kobayashi is a Japanese conductor and composer. In Japan he is known among his fans as “Kobaken.”
Relations between the Czech Republic and the United States were officially established in 1918, but has been cut throughout the history, exactly between 1948-1989 when the Czech Republic was under the soviet influence.
Markus Meckel is a German theologian and politician. He was the penultimate foreign minister of the GDR and a member of the German Bundestag.
Czech Republic–Russia relations are the bilateral foreign relations between the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation. Relations have substantially deteriorated in recent years due to events such as the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russian sabotage of Czech ammunition depot in Vrbětice in 2014, poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018 and Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Neighborly relations exist between Austria and the Czech Republic, two member states of the European Union. Austria gave full support to the Czech Republic's membership of the European Union. The Czech Republic is a member state of NATO, while Austria is not.
The Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award is a Czech decoration given annually to honor individuals who have dedicated their lives to public service. It was established in 2000 by the Prague Society for International Cooperation and the Global Panel Foundation. It is named in honor of the Prague Society's President Marc S. Ellenbogen's mother. The award comes with a 150,000 crown cash prize, which the award recipient passes on to a young person who is embarking on his/her career who has already contributed to the development of international relations. For instance when the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra won the award in 2000 the cash prize was given to Lukas Vondracek, an aspiring musician at the time, who is now recognized worldwide.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia established diplomatic relations on January 1, 1993. The two countries became members of the European Union in 2004.
Czech Republic–South Korea relations are foreign relations between the Czech Republic and South Korea.
Jiří Dienstbier was a Czech politician and journalist.
Marc S. Ellenbogen is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and a diplomat. He is Chairman of the Global Panel Foundation and president of the Prague Society for International Cooperation.
Jiří Šedivý is a Czech politician and diplomat.
Economic relations between India and Czech Republic date back to the Middle Ages. People in both countries have always been interested in learning more about the history, language and culture of the other country. During the years after India's independence, Czechoslovakia also played a role as a vital economic partner. Today, both India and Czech Republic have established close relations when it comes to trade, investment and tourism.
The Prague European Summit is a platform for a regular high-level strategic debate on the future of the European Union and other European issues. It is the only platform of this kind focused on the European Union in Central and Eastern Europe. It offers space for an informal dialogue among political representatives, high-ranking state officials, representatives of interest groups, businessmen, academicians and journalists.
Czech Republic–Spain relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Relationships are mainly defined by the membership of both countries to the European Union and NATO. The Czech Republic has an embassy in Madrid and consulates in Barcelona, Benidorm, Bilbao, Oviedo, Palma de Mallorca and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Spain has an embassy in Prague, as well as an Education Attaché, a Commercial Office and an Instituto Cervantes; the Delegation of Spanish Tourism for this country operates from Vienna.
Ivan Miloš Havel was a Czech scientist and philosopher. He was the brother of President Václav Havel, with whom he was one of the founders of the Civic Forum.