When asked by ČTK, the communications department of the presidential office did not specify what the award would be. Clinton has been a holder of the Order of the White Lion since 1998. Clinton received the highest state award of the Czech Republic in September 1998 in Washington from President Václav Havel. The ceremony took place at a state dinner at the White House. At that time, Havel thanked the Americans for their support for the Czech Republic’s entry into NATO and expressed his belief that without Clinton everything would have gone much more slowly.
Former castle recorder Miroslav Sklenář is also thinking about what kind of state award Bill Clinton, who is already a holder of the highest metal, the Order of the White Lion, 1st class with a chain, could receive from Pavel. “Giving him a medal for heroism is probably stupid, isn’t it. Giving him a medal for merit, probably too, only they could give him the order of TGM first class for the development of democracy, humanism,” said the Glazier to Lightning. And that even the date of award – the honors are awarded either on January 1 or October 28 – is somewhat out of line? “It’s not against the law, it can be granted to a foreign national even outside regular days,” he added.
The ceremony awarding the state award to the 42nd President of the USA will take place at the Castle on Tuesday at 12:00. Pavel and Clinton will then deliver keynote addresses at the Our Security is Not for Granted conference at 1:45 p.m. Already in the morning, Prime Minister Petr Fiala will speak on the occasion of the Czech Republic’s quarter century in NATOMinister of Defense Jana Černochová (both ODS) or Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský (Pirates).
Pavel has awarded the award only once in the year since taking office. Last year, on October 28, he honored 62 personalities. The Order of the White Lion was awarded to him, for example, by former Prime Minister and Senate President Petr Pithart, former President of the Constitutional Court Pavel Rychetský and former foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
Former US President Clinton he arrived in Prague on Saturday evening and managed an informal event at the Reduta jazz club in Prague and a walk along the Charles Bridge. The invitation to the meeting in Reduta was accepted by, among others, President Petr Pavel and his wife, former first lady Dagmar HavlováSpeaker of the House Markéta Pekarová Adamová (TOP 09) or foreign and interior ministers Jan Lipavský (Pirates) and Vít Rakušan (STAN).
Clinton, who was president of the USA between 1993 and 2001, came to Prague at the invitation of Czech President Petr Pavl. The security conference is organized by the association Jagello 2000, in the Spanish Hall, in addition to Clinton, the highest Czech constitutional officials and former NATO Secretary General George Robertson will speak at it. The organizers of the conference drew attention to the fact that at the beginning of his first term, Clinton outlined for the first time in history a vision of Europe without conflicts, undivided and democratic.
