Former US President Bill Clinton to Visit Prague in March

Former US President Bill Clinton will head to Prague in March to deliver the keynote address at a conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s membership in NATO.

The “Our Security Is Not a Given” conference, organized by Jagello 2000, will take place on March 12th at Prague Castle’s Spanish Hall.

Clinton, who served as US President from 1993 to 2001, is attending at the invitation of Czech President Petr Pavel. The organizers highlighted how, early in his presidency, Clinton proposed a vision of a united, democratic Europe free from conflict.

“Inviting Central and Eastern European democracies into NATO was a key part of this vision,” they said, “and the 1999 expansion that included the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary was a historic step towards its realization.”

This year’s conference, the 11th edition, will not only assess the Czech Republic’s quarter-century in NATO but also discuss the alliance’s future amidst a rapidly changing security landscape. On April 4th, NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Joining Clinton at Prague Castle will be Czech President Petr Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Defense Minister Jana Černochová, and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. The panel discussion will also feature representatives from the opposition ANO movement and the SPD party.

The Czech Republic, along with Poland and Hungary, joined NATO on March 12th, 1999. A September 2023 poll by the Czech Academy of Sciences found that two-thirds of Czechs support their country’s NATO membership, with only 26% expressing disapproval.