A new contingent of the National Army was detached to work within the Kosovo Multinational Peacekeeping Force (KFOR), IPN reports.
The contingent consists of a platoon of 32 servicemen, who will be involved in military facilities guarding and patrolling missions, a seven-member bomb squad and a general staff officer. The servicemen will work at the multinational base Camp Vilaggio Italia in Pech, Kosovo, for six months.
Minister of Defense Valeriu Troenco said that Moldova is now in the list of countries producing security. “It is a strategic objective that we set in order to cope with the requirements. Our army is among the professional armies taking party in stabilization and peacekeeping missions,” he stated.
Attending the ceremony to deploy the contingent of servicemen, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said the mission to Kosovo is an example of peace strengthening on the European contingent, while for Moldova it is a chance to contribute to ensuring international security.
Italian Ambassador to Moldova Enrico Nunziata said the detachment of the second infantry platoon to work within the Kosovo Force shows that Moldova wants to be an active player at international level. Moldova became determinedly involved in the process of coming closer to the EU and NATO and established constructive cooperation relations in the security area with them.
U.S. Ambassador in Chisinau William H. Moser said the authorities made an ambitious effort to improve the capacities of the armed forces of Moldova so that they are able to cope with the challenges to the regional peace and security.
More than 90 National Army soldiers have taken part in peacekeeping missions under the UN aegis since 2003, including in Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Sudan, South Sudan, Georgia, and Kosovo.
Currently, the National Army is represented by 10 servicemen in international security missions held under the UN aegis, while an officer of the Ministry of Defense of Moldova works at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York.
The first contingent costing of 41 Moldovan servicemen left for Kosovo to take part in an international peacekeeping mission there at the beginning of February.
