Historian Lucian Boia was decorated by the President of Hungary, János Áder, with the title "Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary" as a sign of recognition of the special activity he carried out as a historian, as well as of the whole work through which he contributed significantly to the improvement of the relations between the Hungarian and Romanian people. The historian has repeatedly opposed the official Romanian conception of history, mirrored in school textbooks, and thus has often become the target of Romanian nationalists, notes the source. The distinction was handed to the historian known for his books of demolishing taboos and myths, by H.E. Ambassador of Hungary, Botond Zákonyi, during a reception organized, on Tuesday, at the Hungarian Embassy in Bucharest. Frequently confronted with the official Romanian view of textbooks and often targeted by Romanian nationalists, Boia told the Hungarian media that he was surprised, but pleased to receive the Hungarian state decoration, knowing that his work was being read in Hungarian, but he did not suspect that his work was so popular. He explained that he considers himself a free man and that in a democracy everyone has the right to think and to express their views. In his opinion there is no contradiction between the Hungarian-Romanian historical debates and the fact that he was awarded the Hungarian state.

The award was presented by Ambassador Botond Zákonyi and Réka Brendus, Head of Department of the Prime Minister's Office.