On 14 February 2023, Petr Mareš, Executive Director of the International Visegrad Fund (IVF), visited our Foundation. Before his assignment in Bratislava, Petr Mareš, Czech diplomat and politician, served as his country’s Head of Mission in The Hague and Special Envoy for the Eastern Partnership, as well as Party President and Deputy Prime Minister, succeeded Edit Szilágyi Bátorfi as the head of the international organisation supporting cooperation between the Visegrad countries in August 2022.
From our collection, we presented him our eponym’s correspondence with Karel von Schwarzenberg while the Czech diplomat elaborated on his relationship with the legendary Czech Foreign Minister. Afterwards, we discussed the opportunities for projects and regional cooperation that the Otto Habsburg Foundation can access, which could further enrich professional collaboration in the area. The current visit by Director Mareš has given new impetus to the previously established relationship between the Foundation and the IVF, which the pandemic had overshadowed.
Prior to his visit, Mr Mareš had participated in the signing of a cooperation agreement between the IVF and the University of Public Service (“NKE”) and informed the attending audience about the scholarship opportunities offered by the Fund. He was accompanied by Iván Gyurcsík, former Ambassador and the Rector’s Advisor of the Regional Cooperation Department at the NKE.
NKE photos by Dénes Szilágyi
