FM Lipavský awards Medal for Merit in Diplomacy to 16 outstanding personalities and institutions
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Tuesday awarded the Medal for Merit in Diplomacy to 16 institutions and outstanding personalities from different walks of life who have made a significant contribution to Czech diplomacy and Czechia’s good relations with other countries.
2025 laureates
Among this year’s laureates are Petr Brod, a prominent journalist who worked for RFE in exile and a respected historian in the field of Czech-German relations and the history of Jews in Bohemia; Michal Koudelka, head of the Czech Counter Intelligence Service (BIS); Post Bellum, a Czech NGO formed in 2001 by a group of historians and journalists with the aim of creating an archive of oral historical testimony entitled Memory of Nations, and leading Czech economist and vice president of the Czech Confederation of Industry and Trade, Radek Špicar.
Medal for Merit in Diplomacy
The Medal for Merit in Diplomacy is awarded by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as a token of appreciation to domestic and foreign personalities and institutions who have made a significant contribution to the development of Czechia’s good relations with the world. The award represents the country’s recognition of their merit in the field of diplomacy, foreign policy and for their long-term efforts in forging ties and promoting good-neighbourly relations and cooperation with other countries.
History and significance
The Medal was established in 2018 by the Government of the Czech Republic and represents the highest non-presidential decoration awarded specifically for merit in diplomacy. Past recipients include Madeleine Albright, Karel Schwarzenberg, Thomas Bagger, Lord George Robertson, Javier Solana and Klaus Kinkel, in memoriam.
The design of the award
The award consists of the medal proper, a badge, a diploma and a case with a distinctive design.
The silver medal has a round shape with a diameter of 35 mm. The front side depicts Czernin Palace, the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and the text ‘For services to diplomacy’. On the reverse side is a stylised globe superimposed on the outline of a map of the Czech Republic and the logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with an engraved serial number. The medal is suspended on a three-coloured ribbon. It is complemented by a silver badge with a diameter of 12 mm, which is a smaller version of the obverse side of the medal.
