On Monday, the Czech Republic ambassador to the United Nations Hynek Kmonicek, delivered a lecture discussing the Czech Republic’s place in European and world affairs.
The Czech Republic will enter the European Union in early May, which is what Kmonicek spent a majority of his time speaking about.
“It is impossible to speak of the Czech Republic without speaking of enlargement of the European Union,” he said.
He went on to describe the many changes the country will undergo by becoming part of the European Union. Because of the diversity of the European Union, the Czech Republic will experience economic growth and the reshaping of social and health benefits, he said.
Kmonicek also touched on the Czech Republic’s involvement in NATO, which the country has only been a part of since 1999, and said the country felt betrayed by the west by not getting in until recently.
“Getting into NATO healed an injustice,” he said.
At the conclusion of the lecture, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and one student asked about the Czech Republic’s position on terrorism and the War in Iraq.
Kmonicek said the country is politically involved and supports its allies but is not a willing part of the coalition.
Another student questioned how the country plans to preserve its language and culture with the entrance into the European Union.
“One of five priorities we have is to keep the Czech Republic alive in the European Union,” he said.
He went on to discuss the country’s compatibility with other European countries when one student commented on the Czech Republic’s appearance as a “poor cousin” of France and Germany.
“We are aware there are preset pictures, but we will face them and still be productive Europe,” he said.
The lecture was a success and all in attendance seemed to agree.
“It was extremely enlightening and interesting because the Czech Republic is one of ten new members to the European Union. It was nice to get a perspective of that,” freshman James Hiseler said.
Nathaniel Knight, director of the Russian and East European Studies Program, said she felt Kmonicek gave a lively performance and was very informative.
“We are very fortunate to have people of this caliber to speak to our students,” he said.
Junior Maggie Butrym agreed.
“It was a wonderful experience for our university to hear such a dignified person speak,” she said.
The lecture was sponsored by the Russian and East European Studies Program, the School of Diplomacy and International Relations and the Slavic Club.
Kmonciek was the second ambassador to come speak at Seton Hall this year, and the organizations expect Poland’s ambassador to come sometime in October.
Caity Fodor can be reached at fodorcat@shu.edu.
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