The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) was honored to host Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis of the Republic of Latvia at the graduation ceremony for our American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) held in Prague on July 24. Dombrovskis was awarded the 20th annual Vašek and Anna Maria Polák Award honoring a current or former head of state.

In granting him the award, TFAS was acknowledging Dombrovskis’s leadership in guiding Latvia from a major recession in 2008-2009 into what is rapidly becoming one of the European Union’s fastest growing economies in recent years since the global recession.

Dombrovskis addressed 98 AIPES students from 26 different countries. The Prime Minister then attended a graduation reception held in his honor where he had the chance to meet all of the AIPES students, faculty and staff, along with the administration of Charles University, longtime TFAS partner in Prague.