Czech President Petr Pavel will present the Order of the White Lion to outgoing Slovak President Zuzana Caputova at Prague Castle next week, in recognition of her contribution to the development of Czech-Slovak relations.
He will do so on Thursday at noon, according to a statement from the communications department of the Presidential Office. The Order of the White Lion is the highest Czech state decoration.
Shortly before the end of her five-year mandate, Caputova will conclude her farewell foreign trips with a visit to the Czech Republic. Pavel will also welcome her at the Castle on Wednesday. The Slovak president will address the Prague European Summit international conference on Thursday.
Last week, Pavel awarded the Order of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, 3rd Class, to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for his outstanding contribution to the development of democracy. In March, former US President Bill Clinton received the TGM First Class Order from him.
Caputova last visited Prague in mid-March, shortly after the Czech government decided to postpone a joint cabinet meeting between the two countries. At the time, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) justified this based on the significant differences of opinions on key foreign policy issues, especially the war in Ukraine.
At the time, Caputova also paid tribute to the victims of the December shooting at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, in which 14 people, including students and teachers, lost their lives. After the attack, the perpetrator, who police say was a student at the faculty, committed suicide.
