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The awarding of the medal for merits in diplomacy to Eva Filipi is not just a formal recognition of a long career. In the context of the exchange of the post of foreign minister, this is both a political gesture and an indirect comment on the way in which the ministry parted ways with one of its most experienced diplomatic figures in recent years.
For decades, Eva Filipi was one of the mainstays of the Czech foreign service, especially in regions that have long been unstable and demanding security. A trained Orientalist and Turkologist specializing in the Middle East, she worked not only at the Ministry’s headquarters, but mainly in the field – in Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and finally in Syria.
Czech unique in Damascus
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It was the mission in Damascus that became the most visible chapter of her career. She entered Syria in 2010, shortly before the outbreak of the civil war. After 2011, most Western countries closed their embassies and withdrew diplomats. The Czech Republic decided to stay and the Czech representation gradually became one of the few functioning diplomatic channels between the West and the Syrian regime.
Filipi led the embassy for thirteen years in an environment where diplomacy often took place on the edge of crisis management. In addition to its own agenda, the Czech mission also represented the interests of the United States and other countries of the European Union, which did not have a presence in Damascus. It was primarily about practical diplomacy: the consular agenda, crisis negotiations and maintaining contacts in a situation where political isolation had its limits.
Pragmatist versus “valuable” Lipavský
However, this pragmatic approach gradually came into conflict with the transformation of Czech foreign policy after 2021. After Jan Lipavský took over as head of the ministry, the department began to emphasize the value and normative level of foreign policy. Filipi, on the other hand, has been pointing out for a long time that the complete isolation of the Syrian regime does not lead to any tangible results.
The difference in perspective grew into personal and professional tension. When Philippi was recalled from Damascus in the fall of 2023, her departure was unceremonious. The diplomat herself later stated that Minister Lipavský did not meet with her and there was not even a formal farewell gesture. “Mr. Lipavský probably decided that I was doing it all wrong,” said Filipi in an interview for Seznam Zprávy last year.
In the diplomatic environment, Lipavský caused embarrassment and criticism of the way the ministry concluded one of the longest and most demanding missions.
Macinka’s remedy
It is precisely this moment that the new minister Petr Macinka is now indirectly correcting. The decision to award Eva Filipa a medal for meritorious diplomacy is read as a clear demarcation towards the previous management of the department. It is not about changing the foreign policy line towards Syria, but about a different approach to the people who implemented it in the past.
“It is difficult for me to understand why you did not receive such a reception that would correspond to the scope of your work and expertise, the personal bravery that you have demonstrated. I believe that the state has an obligation to respect its most experienced diplomats. Especially those who served in extremely complex and perhaps the most difficult conditions,” said Macinka.
He also noted that perseverance is part of diplomacy and that the former management of the department was relatively unfair to Filipi. “In your case, the injustice was extraordinary. Czech diplomacy owes you a debt of gratitude. I appreciate being able to say thank you personally,” he added.
Since 2019, the departmental honor has been awarded to personalities with an extraordinary contribution to Czech foreign relations.
In justifying the award, Macinka also recalled not only Filipi’s diplomatic work in challenging destinations, but also his professional background and long-term specialization in the Middle East. Filipi’s diplomatic footprint is unforgettable – from her position as director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to challenging missions where she headed embassies in Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Syria. In the last destination, in difficult conditions, she also represented the interests of the USA and several other EU countries.
He called the award an addition to the already awarded honors, among them the Medal for Merit of the 1st degree and the Arnošt Lustig Award. In addition, Filipi also received an award from the then Minister of Defense Jana Černochová (ODS).
Filipi herself commented on the award that it was very important to her. “The return after 32 years in the masculine world of the Middle East was quite dramatic. The minister and deputy prime minister relieved me of that drama today,” she emphasized.
She also added that she hopes that foreign policy will get rid of ballast and gestures, and will be realistic and pragmatic.
Symbolic remedy
It is said in diplomatic circles that Macinka’s move is meant to symbolically close and rectify the dispute that remained open after the change of the department’s leadership. “In this case, it is not necessarily about revising the foreign policy line, but rather about recognizing professional work regardless of differences of opinion,” a diplomatic source told the editors.
Eva Filipi’s career is symbolically closed with this award. She left the mark of a diplomat who spent most of her professional life outside her comfort zone and whose work was often only visible in retrospect. The Medal of Merit for Diplomacy thus does not represent a change in the assessment of the past, but rather a correction of the way in which the state said goodbye to it.
