Vucic Awards 55 Honors in Final Speech as President

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic handed out 55 state honors today, September 15, at the Palace of Serbia to individuals and institutions recognized for the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag. The ceremony began at noon, according to Tanjug and the news portal 24sedam.

The Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag is a state holiday that Serbia and Republika Srpska have marked jointly since 2020, commemorating the breakthrough of the Salonika Front on September 15, 1918, when Serbian forces and their allies broke through the line of the Central Powers, hastening the end of World War One. The main celebration took place a day earlier, on September 14, at the Borik sports hall in Banja Luka, organized jointly by the governments of Serbia and Republika Srpska. Serbia’s delegation was led by caretaker Prime Minister Djuro Macut, and those in attendance included Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, Republika Srpska President Sinisa Karan, RS Prime Minister Savo Minic and National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandic.

Top Honor Goes to Kazakhstan’s President

The highest decoration awarded at the Belgrade ceremony, the Order of the Republic of Serbia on a Great Collar, went to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to developing friendly relations between the two countries, Tanjug reported. According to N1, Tokayev thanked Serbia for the honor in a message, saying Kazakhstan highly values its long-standing partnership with Serbia.

The Order of the Serbian Flag, third class, went to Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen, who stars in the film “The Harvest,” dedicated to the suffering of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. The Order of the Karadjordje Star, first class, was awarded to actor Petar Bozovic, academic painter Predrag Djakovic and television director Veselin Grozdanic, while the same honor was awarded posthumously to Milica Bajcetic, a professor at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine. Her husband, Zlatko Bajcetic, accepted the order on her behalf.

The Order of the Karadjordje Star, second class, went, among others, to writer Veselin Dzeletovic, author of the novel “Srpsko srce Johanovo,” on which the film “The Harvest” is based, University of Belgrade School of Medicine professors Milan Stojicic and Svetlana Popadic, journalist and war correspondent Nebojsa Jevric, actress Ivana Zigon and Tatjana Trajkovic, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Nis. The Order of the Karadjordje Star, third class, was awarded to the Karlovci Grape Harvest festival for its 95th anniversary, the Vrnjacka Banja Film Screenplay Festival for its 50th anniversary, as well as to Ivan Tomasev and Zoran Calija.

Correction Regarding Honors From the Security Sector

The Order for Merit in Defense and Security, first class, was awarded to Police Colonel Nenad Nedic, commander of the Serbian Interior Ministry’s Helicopter Unit, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Luka Causic, assistant interior minister and head of the Sector for Emergency Situations. The same honor went to Police Major Aleksandar Krstic, head of the Fire and Rescue Units Department within the Directorate for Fire and Rescue Units, as well as to a retired member of the Interior Ministry serving as deputy director for training at the Serbian-Russian Humanitarian Center. Sources spell his surname differently: Tanjug lists him as Vlada Plemic, while N1 lists him as Vlada Plenic.

The Gold Medal for Merit went, among others, to the Central Union of Greek Municipalities and Regions (KEDE), German business expert Jorg Heskens and the company Panekspres from Lucani. The Silver Medal for Merit went to the Cukarica Red Cross, the Subotica Symphony Orchestra and the Belgrade Karate Federation. Members of fire and rescue units who took part in fighting fires in the Deliblato Sands and other parts of Serbia were also decorated.

“This Is the Last Time I Give This Speech as President”

Addressing those gathered at the Palace of Serbia, Vucic announced that this would be his last such address in the role of president of the Republic.

“This is the last time I give a speech as President of the Republic on the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag, but I am grateful that we have delivered on something that was promised,” Vucic said, according to N1.

The president then explained what the holiday means to him.

“We have gathered to celebrate our resurrection and our freedom. This is not an ordinary day, but a day when we stop, take off our hats, look up at the sky and ask ourselves where we came from, what we went through, and why and how, despite everything, we are still our own masters in our own land, still one people. This day was born out of urgent necessity,” he said.

Vucic thanked the leadership of Republika Srpska for marking the holiday together with Serbia and reflected on relations between Belgrade and Banja Luka in recent years.

“There has never been any friction between Serbia and Republika Srpska, even when we did not think alike. We always had to stand by each other when things were hardest,” he said.

He called on citizens and institutions to fly Serbian flags for the holiday, saying this day is “an obligation for us to remain one people no matter how many borders divide us.”

According to N1’s report, the Belgrade ceremony was attended by National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, as well as caretaker ministers from the Government of Serbia and ministers from the Government of Republika Srpska.

Vucic’s announcement that he was giving his last speech at this holiday as president remains, for now, without further explanation of his reasons. None of the three sources reported the president saying anything more on the occasion about his plans for the remainder of his term.