16.02.2026.
President Vučić presents decorations to Serbian Armed Forces units and institutions on Statehood Day
On the occasion of Serbia’s Statehood Day, the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, today awarded decorations to distinguished individuals and institutions at a formal ceremony held at the Palace of Serbia.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić and the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović.The President of the Republic awarded the Sretenje Order, First Class, to the “General Stevan Bošković” Military Geographical Institute in recognition of its outstanding contribution to strengthening the defence system of the Republic of Serbia, particularly in the field of cartography. President Vučić awarded the Order of the White Eagle with Swords, Third Class, for exceptional contribution to the development of the defence 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 Defence and Security, Second Class, to the First Army Brigade in recognition of its exceptional, exemplary, and honourable service in defence and security.
Addressing the audience, President Vučić said that on February 15, 1804, on the feast of Sretenje (Candlemas), our ancestors took up arms against centuries of subjugation, and that they were the first ones to do so in this part of Europe. He emphasized that it was no coincidence that the First Serbian Uprising began on this holy day, noting that Karađorđe and his insurgents sought not merely a military triumph, but that their struggle and ultimate victory might be blessed.- A religious feast day 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 mark the blessed day on which the struggle for freedom began as the day on which that freedom acquired its legal foundation. The Sretenje Constitution was one of the most progressive constitutional instruments in Europe at the time. It abolished feudalism, guaranteed freedom of trade, and limited the arbitrary power of the ruler. Although it was soon suspended under pressure from the great powers, it remains a lasting testament to the fact that the Serbian people did not only seek liberation from foreign domination, but they also wanted a free and properly constituted state. Sretenje thus became a threefold celebration – the day when God met man, the day when a nation met freedom, and the day when freedom itself met the law – President Vučić stated.
Addressing the recipients of the decorations, the President of Serbia said 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 industrious people who, through their efforts, affirm that we are worthy descendants of our ancestors. He 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 the Serbian people on their ancestral land”.- We will always stand with our people, protect them, and be the guarantor of their survival. I wish nothing but the best to Serbs 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, 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 value it, and in the years ahead justify everything we have achieved, respecting us as we have respected the generations before us. We face a series of major tasks in the upcoming period. We are overjoyed that we have endured for 150 years and that our work is recognised 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, emphasized that today’s decoration is a great honour for the entire unit, recognizing its efforts and performance over the past period, as every individual contributed 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 comes 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 the 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 Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, and numerous guests from across Serbia and the region.
