Decorations on Serbian Statehood Day
Sunday, 16.2.2025 | Culture and traditions
On the occasion of the Serbian Statehood Day, the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces and the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vučić, presented decorations to deserving individuals and institutions, including those of the Serbian Armed Forces.
The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Defense Bratislav Gašić and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović.
The Order of Merit in Defence and Security, 2nd class, was awarded to the Technical Overhaul Institute "Čačak" in recognition of its exceptional, exemplary and honorable performance of duties and tasks relating to defense and security, while the Silver Medal for Merit was awarded to the Technical Test Centre, in recognition of its exceptional contribution and results achieved in defense and security of the Republic of Serbia.
Congratulating the winners of the highest state awards, President Vučić told them that from today they have a greater responsibility, that it is no longer personal, but that they now bear the responsibility of the whole of Serbia.
— This is not just an expression of gratitude for everything you have done, but a much bigger obligation for you. Thank you for everything you have given to our country that we never expected. A medal is something you did not ask for, and you deserve much more than that - said the President of Serbia.
In his address, he said that “all great things are simple and can generally be expressed in one word, be it freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy or hope”. According to him, this thought expresses the essence of what we celebrate today, what we remember and what we have striven for for more than 200 years.
- Because of freedom and justice, an uprising broke out in 1804. Those words - mercy, hope, justice were the reason why the Candlemas (Sretenje) Constitution was adopted in 1835. Today, the words duty and honor are the driving force behind everything we do in Serbia. They are the foundation of all our efforts. Together with other simple concepts, they are both a pledge and fuel; they admonish us and drive us forward. At the same time, those short, simple words contain all the reasons why today we present the highest state decorations to the people who have confirmed, embodied and lived the meaning of those words, and who have given this society much more than they have received or asked for - said President Vučić.
Speaking of the decoration, director of the Technical Overhaul Institute "Čačak", Colonel Vojkan Radonjić, Ph.D., said that the award was recognition for all members of the Institute - both current and former.
— This is also recognition for the Serbian Armed Forces, but also for the Army, especially in the year when the Institute celebrates its 100th anniversary. Of course, the decoration will give additional stimulus and progress to the Institute, which is ready to accept new technologies and to help our armed forces with the maintenance of modern technical means - emphasized Colonel Radonjić.
Director of the Technical Test Centre, Colonel Saša Veselinović, Ph.D., said that the award was a great recognition for the entire Centre and the results it had achieved.
- This is recognition for all employees who have for years put in a lot of work and effort to achieve such results. This would not have been possible without the great support of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff, i.e. the entire Serbian Armed Forces, who have recognized our work as their imperative and interest - emphasized Colonel Veselinović.
The decorations awarding ceremony was attended by His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, Presidents of the National Assemblies of Serbia and Republika Srpska Ana Brnabić and Nenad Stevandić, Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, government ministers, members of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces and numerous guests from the country and the region.
