The 12th contingent of the National Army consisting of 40 service members, seven of whom are bomb disposal technicians and 33 are infantry members, left for a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo as part of the KFOR operation. They will work for a period of six months there, deployed at the Italian military base Camp Villaggio in Pech, IPN reports.

In the deployment ceremony, Italy’s Ambassador in Moldova Valeria Biagotti said that Italy highly appreciates Moldova’s readiness to take part in the operation that continues to play an important role in guaranteeing regional sovereignty and safety in Europe, alongside the Italian contingent. “We approve of the professionalism and competence of the Moldovan service members and their capacity to integrate and interact with Italian military men,” stated Valeria Biagotti.

Minister of Defense Victor Gaiciuc said that almost 500 officers and sub-officers of the National Army worked as part of the KFOR operation so far. These all showed that the defense institution of Moldova trained qualified personnel interoperable with the armies of other states that know to act with precision and professionalism in any situation.

Attending the ceremony, Prime Minister Ion Chicu said he is sure that the Moldovan service members will act so that Moldova’s name is associated with such terms as dignity and safety. Through the agency of these military men, Moldova contributes to regional and international security, proving that the country has professional officers whose training was tested as part of operations.

The decision to deploy National Army soldiers to the KFOR mission was made by Parliament on November 1, 2013. The first contingent was deployed on March 8, 2014.