PRESS RELEASE
LJUBLJANA, 20 March 2012 - On Tuesday, 19 March 2012, awards of the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) were presented in Ljubljana.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the IFIMES Institute awards were presented to:
- Professor Dr. Ernest Petrič, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia, who received the award for his lifetime achievements;
- Zoran Živković, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, who received the award for his outstanding contribution to promoting democratic changes in Serbia;.
- Ilir Meta, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Albania, who received the award for "Positive personality in the field of foreign policy". The award was conferred for the year 2010 when Mr. Meta was performing the function of the Foreign Minister;
- Jelko Kacin, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the EP Delegation for South-East Europe, who received the award for "The most visible European politician in the West Balkans"; and
- Amir Ahmić, the liaison officer with the Hague International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, who received the award for "his contribution to promoting truth, justice and reconciliation".
The awards were presented by the Honorary President of the IFIMES Institute Stjepan Mesić, former President of the Republic of Croatia.
Other awards of the Institute will be subsequently presented to Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan for "World personality of the decade", President of the Republic of Iraq Jalal Talabani for "Personality of the year 2011" and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov for "Positive personality in the field of foreign policy for the year 2011".
At the reception, a speech was delivered by the Honorary President of the IFIMES Institute Mr. Stjepan Mesić, and the letter from the President of IFIMES Council Craig T. Smith, former White House Political Director, was read. The cultural programme was performed by the actor Demeter Bitenc.
Ljubljana, 20 March 2012
