The 11th contingent of the National Army of Moldova that consists of 41 service members, including a general staff officer, seven bomb disposal technicians and a platoon of 33 soldiers goes on a new peacekeeping mission to Kosovo as part of KFOR. The contingent will be deployed at the Italian military base Camp Villaggio in Pech, Kosovo, and will work there for six months, IPN reports.
In the departure ceremony, Minister of Defense Eugen Sturza encouraged the soldiers to properly fulfil their duties. “The operation for which you were selected is an opportunity to represent with dignity the National Army, the Republic of Moldova and the profession of service member that we make effort to rehabilitate. Without your support, our efforts at the Ministry will be useless. It is hard to change something when the system opposes from inside. You will be supported by the Italian army at the Camp Villaggio base and in six month we will wait for you home to report on the successfully completed mission,” stated the official.
Italy’s Ambassador to Moldova Valeria Biagiotti said she was glad to be attending the ceremony to see off the Moldovan service members who will join in the Italian military in Kosovo. “This is a special event as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the start of this cooperation between Italy and the Republic of Moldova. We appreciate and support Moldova’s wish to contribute to stability and promotion of peace at international level. We appreciate the professionalism and competence of the Moldovan service members and their capacity to integrate and interact with Italian soldiers in a warm and collegial atmosphere,” stated the diplomat.
The 11th contingent of the National Army leaves for Kosovo on June 9. Moldovan service members have been involved in peacekeeping missions in Kosovo since 2014.
