Address by Václav Havel at the State Luncheon hosted by the Vice President of the United States of America and Mrs. Gore

Mr. Vice President,
Mrs. Gore,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I truly rejoice to be speaking on the soil of the United States of America once again. I am also glad to be once again in this country, to which I am attached by so many wonderful memories and associations.

I have visited the United States a number of times in the past few years, but this is the first time I am paying a State Visit to this country as President of the Czech Republic. When I paid my first State Visit here in October 1991, I was still the President of the Czechoslovak Federation. But the visit that ranks first in my memory is my very first stay in Washington after the fall of Communism, in February 1990, when I had the honor to address both chambers of Congress. At that time, I thanked all of the citizens of the United States for the support they had given to the fight for freedom in my country. On behalf of all the people of the Czech Republic, as well as on my own behalf, I should now like to add our thanks for your contribution to the enlargement of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Whenever I come to the United States, I feel I am coming to friends who share with us the fundamental values of democracy, and who understand our needs and our problems. Our friendship has deep roots, dating back to the time of the foundation of our Republic at the end of World War I. The fact that we will now - thanks to the help of the United States - be able to stand up proudly as a new member of the North Atlantic Alliance is an accomplishment fulfilling the legacy of the founding fathers of Czechoslovak-American cooperation - the founder of our modern state, TomᚠGarrigue Masaryk, and President Woodrow Wilson. This year, the Czech Republic will commemorate, on its National Day, the 80th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia, whose traditions we still cherish with pride. Once again, we will remind ourselves that the American democratic system, headed by President Wilson, played an essential role in 1918 in the struggle of the Czech people for their self-determination.

The history of good and friendly relations between our nations is of great value. It is a history of cooperation based not only on links we shared in the past, but primarily on the sharing of common values and interests. This cooperation has now reached the highest level since the times of Presidents Masaryk and Wilson.

Mr. Vice President,
Mrs. Gore,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me toast the friendship between the Czechs and the Americans. Let me toast our continued cooperation resting on our shared sense of responsibility for the fate of our civilization in the next millennium.