Rep. n° 06/2026
The decoration is related to the merits of Slovak citizens in preserving the memory of Romanian soldiers who fell at the end of World War II for the liberation of Slovakia.
Bratislava, May 28, 2026 – State Councilor of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic Martin Drobňák and archaeologist of the Regional Monuments Office in Žilina Tomáš Kopták received Romanian state decorations on Thursday at the Romanian Embassy in Bratislava. This was confirmed by the Honorary Consul of Romania and Servare et Manere Secretary-General Marek Sobola, who said that in recent years such an honor has been granted to Slovak citizens only in exceptional and rare cases.
The decoration is related to the merits of Slovak citizens in preserving the memory of Romanian soldiers who fell at the end of World War II for the liberation of Slovakia. It began in 2020 with the accidental discovery of the remains of an unknown soldier in the cadastre of the village of Čičmany in the northwest of Slovakia, near the border with the Czech Republic. After several years of research, they found that it was a Romanian, a member of the Romanian Royal Army. His remains were buried with full military honours at the end of April 2026 in Zvolen, where the largest cemetery of Romanian army soldiers in Europe is located. While preparing the event, Sobola proposed to the Romanian Ambassador to Slovakia, Călin Fabian, a pair of Slovaks who had made exceptional contributions to the entire identification process and the organization of the memorial service, for the award of the Romanian state decoration. The process was also carried out with the assistance of Col. Georgian Nedelcu, Romanian Military Attaché.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan awarded the National Order of Merit (Romanian: Ordinul Național Pentru Merit)with the rank of knight to Drobňák and Kopták. Both laureates, beyond their work duties, contributed to the identification of the remains, starting with their discovery and processing, professional research and ending with the organization of the memorial service. “We are also organizing the event in the name of the fallen soldiers, in the name of universal values such as freedom and democracy. But it is also about remembering and honouring the supreme sacrifice,” said the Ambassador of Romania to Slovakia, Călin Fabian, in his speech. He added that each such event is, according to him, another brick in the solid architecture of bilateral relations. According to the Honorary Consul of Romania, it is important that we notice the exceptional merits of individuals and also highlight them.
At the end of the event, both laureates thanked the ambassador and Romania for the honour and trust shown. Both perceive the awarding of the awards as an obligation to continue their work. “Let me paraphrase your great poet, Vasile Alecsandri: a true friend is like a rock that faces the fury of the sea as well as the storm on the horizon. I am very glad that Slovakia and Romania are friends in the European Union and in NATO,” said Tomáš Kopták at the end of his acceptance speech.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, representatives of the Romanian and Slovak Ministries of Defense and Slovak Catholic Military Ordinariate, ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary and diplomats of the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovenia, Holy See, France and Poland.
