Today, the President of the Assembly Danijela Đurović presented the Thirteenth of July Award to this year's winners of the highest national award.
In Villa Gorica, she presented the Thirteenth of July Awards to academic painter Naod Zorić and law graduate Predrag Uljarević, while the award will be presented to violinist Roman Simović at a later date.
Simović received the award for the concert tour during the last year, Zorić for the art exhibition "Paintings and Drawings", and Uljarević for the overall annual activity in the development of culture-publishing.
Đurović said that it gives her great pleasure to present the highest state award and to have the opportunity to recall the most famous date of Montenegrin history.
"On that day long ago in 1878 at the Berlin Congress, Montenegro received the long-awaited international recognition and significant territorial expansion, entered the circle of free European states of that time and experienced a kind of historical turning point," said Đurović.
As she stated, on the same date in 1941, the Montenegrin people, the first among the enslaved peoples of Europe, raised an uprising and thus launched a fight for freedom that gave much larger countries an incentive to resist the cruel fascist invader.
"The Congress of Berlin and the XNUMXth of July Uprising are the two cornerstones that rounded off Montenegrin statehood for all time, and our nation confirmed itself as the bearer of the torch of the struggle for freedom on the Old Continent for who knows how many times," said Đurović.
She stated that fascism, as the greatest evil of the 20th century, was immediately met with resistance in Montenegro because it did not cause even an iota of fear in our ancestors.
Đurović pointed out that all citizens, especially holders of the most important state functions, must have the universal values of July 13 woven into them.
"Montenegro must be a civil and European state, a state of social justice, unity, inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony, and free individuals," said Đurović.
She stated that, despite certain setbacks and challenges, Montenegro is still a leader in the negotiation process for membership in the European Union (EU), a respectable member of NATO and a reliable neighbor.
Đurović said that July 13 this year is being celebrated after the elections, in anticipation of the constitution of a new convocation of parliament and a new government.
"I expect and wish that Montenegro accelerates and completes the EU accession process in the coming period, that the standard of our citizens improves significantly, that we develop and improve in every segment, that we continue the necessary reform of the judicial system and the fight against crime and corruption, that we fulfill citizens' expectations," said Đurović.
It is necessary, as Đurović said, to create a country of equal opportunities for everyone, in which the main task of decision makers will be to take care of the interests of the people they represent.
Đurović said that the award winners received satisfaction and recognition for their work and contribution to the affirmation of Montenegro.
"Your musical, artistic and publishing prowess will serve as motivation for new generations so that with dedicated and persistent work they can reach the heights that you have reached. I am sure that the award will serve as an incentive for your further work", said Đurović.
Uljarević said that they receive the award as a recognition for their work, but also that they experience it as a reward for all those dedicated to musical, visual and literary arts and all collaborators.
As he said, thanks to their work and their cultural programs, dozens of well-known European and world musicians, painters and writers, publishers and producers, world media and cultural institutions were permanently tied to Montenegro.
"We tried to have our activities recognized, not only in the Montenegrin framework, but also on the international cultural scene, as well as to contribute to the understanding, rapprochement and creative penetration of different cultural patterns in Montenegro," said Uljarević.
He stated that many other contents have appeared today that appear as competition in the world of culture and modernity.
Dragan Koprivica, a member of the jury for awarding the award, said that Uljarević is a leading personality in Montenegro among publishers.
Koprivica said that Uljarević is the founder, director and editor-in-chief of the publishing house Nova knjiga since 1999, who earned the award by affirming Montenegrin culture in the sphere of publishing.
"As an editor, Uljarević has so far signed more than 700 titles within the publishing production of Nova knjiga, one of the largest publishers in Montenegro and the region," said Koprivica.
As he said, Uljarević was a member of the jury of the European Prize for Literature, and he is the founder of the International Podgorica Book Fair, which has been running since 2006 as the largest manifestation of its kind in the country.
Koprivica pointed out that, thanks to its production, Nova knjiga was a special guest of the world's largest book fair in Frankfurt a few years ago.
"Uljarević is recognized by our cultural public as a cultural worker who for years has been making a personal contribution to the collective efforts to make Montenegro famous even today as a country of publishing and books," he said.
Koprivica stated that master of painting Naod Zorić has had 49 solo exhibitions in the country and the region so far.
"He is also a participant in several group exhibitions and salons in Montenegro and abroad. His creativity is represented in a large number of monographs, lexicons and displays, and his exhibitions regularly represent a kind of cultural sensation, like art holidays," said Koprivica.
He stated that Zorić has won numerous awards since 1991.
Koprivica said that in 2018, in the Modern Gallery in Podgorica, Zorić marked three decades of work, with 34 canvases.
He said that Roman Simović is today a famous name in musical art, who drew the attention of the Montenegrin, then regional and world public.
According to Koprivica, Simović is a creator from our cultural soil.
"With top references, which only a few have, he is a cosmopolitan artist, a citizen of the music of the whole world," said Koprivica.
He stated that Simović is concert master of the London Symphony Orchestra and visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
"As a virtuoso, he performs on all continents, in world-renowned music centers. So far, he has been awarded at a large number of international competitions, proving himself to be one of the most outstanding violinists of the 21st century," said Koprivica.
The Thirteenth of July Award is awarded to a citizen of Montenegro, a group of persons or a legal entity based in the territory of Montenegro, for results of exceptional importance for the country achieved in the year preceding the awarding of the award.
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