Following his last year’s three-day official visit to the autonomous region of Sicily, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Nicolas Petrovitch Njegosh received an invitation to visit the Italian Red Cross in Rome and its National President, Dr. Massimo Barra.
On the occasion of this private trip, the Crown Prince was accompanied by H.E. Mr. Antun Sbutega, Ambassador of Montenegro to the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

As part of the royal agenda at the headquarters of the Italian Red Cross, notably including several solemn decoration and commemorative ceremonies, today, this Thursday April 3rd, 2008, H.E. Ambassador Sbutega has been invested by the Crown Prince with the insignia of Grand Cross in the Order of Danilo I.

H.E. Mr. Antun Sbutega was decorated by the Crown Prince as both a member from a very old Montenegrin family from Kotor and the first appointed Montenegrin Ambassador to the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta — the Crown Prince himself being Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta.
By honouring Ambassador Sbutega, the Crown Prince also wished to reward him for his entire work to promote the Montenegrin culture and history in Italy, through all the exhibitions and cultural events he supports, and the books he wrote, notably his last one “Storia del Montenegro, dalle origini ai giorni nostri” (History of Montenegro, from the origins to the present day), published in 2007.

H.E. Ambassador Antun Sbutega was born on November 27, 1949 in Kotor, Montenegro.
After being graduated in Economy from the University of Belgrade, he taught as Professor at the Kotor Marine Faculty, University of Montenegro, where he assumed by another way the Deputy Headship then the Headship of the Economic Department (1977-1991).
In October 1991, he emigrated with his family to Italy, residing in Rome.
From 1994 to 2006, he worked in the “Pontificia Opera Missionaria di San Pietro Apostolo” (Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle) and the “Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli” (Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples), also collaborating to the Eastern Europe Historical Studies Office in the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. He has been member of the Movement for Montenegro Independence; he is member of the Scientific Council of Archeosites Project.
Author of numerous historical and economical assays, H.E. Mr. Antun Sbutega is married to Nada Rašković and has three children — one son, Krsto, and two daughters, Olga and Ana; he speaks Italian, English and French.