The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský, awarded the Executive Director of WBN, Boban Batrićević, the prestigious “Medal of Merit for Diplomacy”, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to strengthening Czech-Montenegrin relations.
The medal and accompanying diploma were presented to Professor Batrićević today in Cetinje, at the “Václav Havel” corner, by H.E. Janina Hřebíčková, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Montenegro, in the presence of Tomáš Petříček, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
This act represents recognition of Professor Batrićević’s many years of dedication to strengthening cultural, scientific, and educational ties between the two countries. As a prominent promoter of Czech culture in Montenegro and of Havel’s legacy, Batrićević was one of the initiators of establishing the “Václav Havel” corner in Cetinje, introducing Czech language and culture courses, and signing cooperation agreements between the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature (FCJK) and several Czech universities. Over the years, he has built extensive cooperation with numerous Czech institutions, including the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University in Prague, the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Forum 2000, the Václav Havel Library in Prague, the Prague Security Studies Institute, as well as with distinguished Czech scholars and journalists such as František Šístek, Matyáš Zrno, Markéta Slavková, Miloš Zelenka, and many others.
The Medal of Merit for Diplomacy is one of the most prestigious honors awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. This decoration is granted to individuals and organizations, both from the Czech Republic and abroad, in recognition of their exceptional contribution to the development of international relations, the strengthening of friendly ties, and the promotion of the values represented by Czech diplomacy.
Established in 2018 by the Government of the Czech Republic, the medal represents the highest non-presidential honor in the field of diplomacy. Among its previous recipients are prominent figures in world diplomacy such as Madeleine Albright, Karel Schwarzenberg, Thomas Bagger, Lord George Robertson, Javier Solana, and Klaus Kinkel.
By awarding this honor to Boban Batrićević, Czech diplomacy once again reaffirms the depth and durability of the relations between Montenegro and the Czech Republic—relations that have a tradition spanning more than 180 years—as well as the importance of cultural and scientific cooperation in preserving shared European values.
