With this philatelic issue, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. This is an important milestone and an opportunity to look back on the path we have travelled, to recall the stages that have progressively strengthened relations between these two sovereign entities, while at the same time renewing our commitment to looking towards the future with confidence and in a spirit of cooperation.

We are also celebrating this anniversary through philately, because a postage stamp, despite its apparent simplicity, possesses a particular strength: it tells a story, preserves memory and travels. It carries an image, a symbol and a story from one place to another and, over time, becomes a small yet precious testimony to the history of relations between peoples.

This issue comprises two stamps, each expressing a complementary aspect of the significance of this anniversary.

The first stamp depicts the flags of the Republic of Serbia and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Two symbols that meet and, together, represent twenty-five years of diplomatic relations, dialogue and mutual understanding.

The second is dedicated to the winged Saint John the Baptist, an image drawn from Serbia’s artistic and spiritual heritage associated with the Pustinja Monastery. It recalls the extraordinary richness of Serbia’s religious and cultural tradition, a history that constitutes an essential part of the country’s identity and of the common European heritage, while also representing an additional link with our Order, whose Patron Saint is Saint John the Baptist.

However, this celebration cannot be limited to the diplomatic dimension alone. It also gives us an opportunity to recall what lies at the very heart of the identity and mission of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta: a mission that for centuries has been expressed through concrete service to the sick, the poor, vulnerable people and all those who find themselves in situations of greatest need.

“Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum” — the defence of the faith and service to the poor — expresses a vocation that has endured throughout the centuries and continues to find concrete expression today in healthcare, social assistance and humanitarian work in many parts of the world.

It is precisely this commitment to serving people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and in need, that gives a deeper and more meaningful dimension to the relations between the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Republic of Serbia. Diplomacy finds its truest value when it is transformed into friendship, solidarity and concrete cooperation.

In recent years, the Order of Malta has promoted numerous projects and initiatives in Serbia through a solid network of social and healthcare programmes, carried out in synergy with the local authorities.

Among the principal initiatives is the “A Hot Meal in a Cold Winter” programme, dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable people and those experiencing homelessness during the winter months through the distribution of hot meals.

This is complemented by the “Make a WISH” project, focused on supporting minors in emergency situations and on donations of medical equipment, including assistance provided to the Clinical Centre of Serbia in Belgrade. Of great significance, too, is the construction of a multi-purpose sports and recreational center in Bač, inaugurated in June 2023. The project combines the social inclusion of young people with profound historical significance, as it was established in the same area where, almost eight centuries ago, in 1234, the Order founded the first hospital in the region.

The most recent interventions have included the renovation of a new room for group therapy at the Kovin Psychiatric Hospital, thereby contributing to the transformation and modernization of mental healthcare, as well as the implementation of a project to install solar panels at the institution in Izvor that provides care for girls with intellectual disabilities.

This year, an important humanitarian initiative was launched, funded by the OMDP Foundation and lasting two years. It will provide assistance to approximately one thousand people living in conditions of extreme vulnerability through mobile units offering personal hygiene services, basic healthcare and psychosocial support.

The initiative aims to make a tangible contribution to improving the quality of life of people experiencing homelessness and of those at risk of housing exclusion, while at the same time strengthening the local social support network.

This bond and the continuity of assistance activities are formally enshrined in a Humanitarian Cooperation Agreement signed with the Government of Serbia in 2013, aimed at strengthening medical assistance and social cohesion initiatives in the country.

Looking to the future, we hope that this anniversary will not represent merely the celebration of a milestone achieved but will serve as a new starting point.

May the images contained in these two stamps — on the one hand, the richness of Serbian history and spirituality, and on the other, the meeting of our two flags — continue to travel throughout the world, carrying with them a message of friendship and peace.

Above all, may the coming years see further growth in cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, in our shared desire to uphold human dignity and to stand alongside those who suffer, the sick, the poor and all those who are most in need of our assistance.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to His Grace Bishop Isihije, Bishop of Valjevo, for his important support in the realization of this philatelic issue, and to Mr. Sreten Pantelić, photographer from Valjevo.

H.E. Francesco Maria Amoruso
Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
to the Republic of Serbia