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Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr Vondra was appointed Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States by Czech President Vaclav Havel in the spring of 1997. He presented his letter of credence to President William Jefferson Clinton on May 14, 1997.
Born in Prague on August 17, 1961, Mr. Vondra graduated in 1984 from Charles University in Prague, School of Natural Sciences, Department of Geography. One year later, he earned the degree of Doctor of Natural Sciences (RNDr) from the same school.
From the mid-1980's, Mr. Vondra participated in the activities of Czechoslovakia's democratic opposition, focusing on editorial work in samizdat and cooperation with opposition groups in Central and Eastern Europe (e.g. Polish - Czechoslovak Solidarity). From 1985-1987, he also worked at Prague's Naprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures.
As was often the case for identifiable members of the opposition, after signing Charter 77, Mr. Vondra was forced to work in fields outside of his profession, first as a boilerman and later as a computer programmer. In 1989, he became a spokesperson for Charter 77. In retaliation for his organization of demonstrations in January 1989 and for the petition "A Few Sentences," he was sentenced to two months in prison. In November of the same year, he became a co-founder and leading member of the Civic Forum movement.
From 1990-1992, Mr. Vondra served as foreign policy advisor to President Vaclav Havel. In the summer of 1992, he was appointed the First Deputy Minister of International Affairs of the Czech Republic, and in January 1993, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. In 1996, he became the chief negotiator for the Czech Republic in the process of preparing the Czech-German Declaration. In November 1999, he was awarded National Endowment for Democracy's Democracy Service Medal in recognition of his outstanding service in the cause of democracy.
Mr. Vondra is fluent in English and Russian, as well as his native Czech.
Mr. Vondra is married to Martina Vondrova. Together they have three children.
