Chairman of the Advisory Bodies of the Crown, Mr. Dragomir Acović, issued the following statement about the article published in the daily newspaper “Informer” on February 18, 2015:

The title “An insult to the state” under which the editorial published a fragment of my statement about the motives of one state to decorate the citizens of another, completely changes and distorts the essence of what I actually said. The meaning of my statement, which the journalist could not have understood differently than the way it had been said, was that each state, by awarding foreign citizens, acts according to the criteria of its own policies and interests. As a result, sometimes are awarded those who are undeniably deserving, and sometimes those who are extremely unpopular in relation to the current government of their country. Both reasons results in the act which sends a certain signal to the country whose nationals are honoured. It is an element of state policy, and that is a fact. In this case, my statement could not and can not in any way be connected with the personalities of HRH Crown Prince Alexander, the Ombudsman or journalist Olja Beckovic. Two of these people I know personally and highly appreciate; the third person I do not know, but that is no reason not to appreciate him.

Dragomir Acović, Privy Council