President Vučić Presents Decorations to Serbian Armed Forces Units and Institutions on Statehood Day

Today, on the occasion of Serbia’s Statehood Day, President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, awarded decorations to distinguished individuals and institutions, including the units and establishments of the Serbian Armed Forces.   

The ceremony at the Palace of Serbia was also attended by Minister of Defense Bratislav Gašić and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović.

The President of the Republic awarded the Sretenje Order, 1st Class, to the “General Stevan Bošković” Military Geographical Institute in recognition of its outstanding contribution to strengthening the defense system of the Republic of Serbia, particularly in the field of cartography. President Vučić awarded the Order of the White Eagle with Swords, 3rd Class, for exceptional contribution to the development of the defense system of the Republic of Serbia and the execution of security tasks to the Military Police Criminal Investigation Group, the Signal Brigade, and the 224th Electronic Warfare Centre, which marks the 80th anniversary of its establishment this year. The President of Serbia awarded the Order of Merit in Defense and Security, 2nd Class, to the 1st Army Brigade in recognition of its exceptional, exemplary, and honorable service in defense and security.

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ddressing the audience, President Vučić has said that on February 15, 1804, on the feast of Sretenje (Candlemas), our ancestors took up arms against centuries of slavery, and that they were the first ones to do so in this part of Europe. He has emphasized that it was no coincidence that the First Serbian Uprising began on this holy day, noting that Karađorđe and his revolutionaries sought not merely a military triumph, but that their struggle and ultimate victory might be blessed.

- A religious holiday thus became a festival of freedom, and ecclesiastical symbolism merged with the national uprising.  Three decades later, on February 15, 1835, once again on Sretenje, the Sretenje Constitution was adopted, the first constitution of the Principality of Serbia. This, too, was no coincidence, but a conscious decision to establish this blessed day when the struggle for freedom began as the day when freedom became legally grounded. The Sretenje Constitution was one of the most progressive constitutional documents in Europe at the time. It abolished feudalism, guaranteed the freedom of trade, and limited the arbitrary power of the ruler. Although it was soon suspended under pressure from great powers, it remains a lasting testament to the fact that Serbian people did not only seek liberation from foreign domination, but also a free and properly constituted state. Sretenje thus became a threefold celebration – the day when God encountered man, the day when a nation encountered freedom, and the day when freedom itself encountered law – President Vučić stated.

Addressing the awardees, the President of Serbia has claimed that, through their work in their professional fields, they demonstrate each day that modern Serbia rests not only upon technology and economic progress, but above all upon a community of hardworking people who, through their efforts, affirm that ‘we are worthy descendants of our ancestors’. He has expressed particular gratitude to “our heroic people in Kosovo and Metohija – people living through difficult times and bearing the heavy burden of safeguarding the survival of Serbian people on their ancestral land”.

- We will always be there for our people, protect them, and be the guarantor of their survival. I wish nothing but the best to our people living across the region – in Republika Srpska, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, and beyond. I hope they preserve their Serbian name and identity, fight for the survival of our people, remain diligent and hardworking, and, even while living in different countries, I hope we can come together to build a shared future. Let this holiday remind us that Serbia moves forward most swiftly when it knows what it relies on – resting upon tradition and looking to the future, we continue to build the house whose foundations were laid by our ancestors – President Vučić stressed.

Colonel Asst. Prof. Radoje Banković, Deputy Director of the “General Stevan Bošković” Military Geographical Institute, has said that today’s award proves that the Military Geographical Institute is on the right path in the development of Serbian military science.

- This decoration is very important for all members of the Military Geographical Institute who, over the past 150 years, have created a genuine treasure in terms of science, cartography, and establishment of procedures. It shows the current generation that we are on the right path - in the past 20 years, we have completely transformed our mapping technology. The most important thing is that they should understand the legacy we are passing on to them, they should appreciate it, and, in the years ahead, justify everything we have achieved, respecting us as we respected the previous generations. There are a series of major tasks awaiting us in the upcoming period. We are overjoyed that we have endured for 150 years and that our work is recognized and rewarded in this manner by the entire scientific and military community – Colonel Banković said.

Colonel Predrag Jovičić, Commander of the 224th Electronic Warfare Centre, has emphasized that today’s decoration is a great honor for the entire unit, recognizing its efforts and performance over the past period, as every individual contributes to the unit as a whole.

- This decoration is most certainly a confirmation that the unit has carried out all assigned tasks professionally and efficiently in the past period. This award is not just a tribute to the current generation, but to all previous generations who invested their professional skills and dedication throughout challenging times, ensuring the unit operates at the level it does today. This decoration is especially meaningful as the unit celebrates an important jubilee this year, its 80th anniversary, Colonel Jovičić added, noting that it also came with a responsibility to continue working professionally, developing capabilities, and training personnel in the use of modern assets and systems in the period ahead.

By Presidential Decree, the highest state decorations were awarded to individuals, institutions, and associations in the fields of culture, medicine, industry, sport, diplomacy, science, and arts.

The ceremony was attended by His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić,  the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut and government ministers, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović, representatives of the Provincial Government and of the Republic of North Macedonia, members of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces, and numerous guests from Serbia and the region.