The eighth contingent of the National Army consisting of 40 service members, seven of whom are bomb disposal engineers, will leave for Kosovo to take part in the KFOR peacekeeping operation. The contingent will be deployed at the Italian military base Camp Vilaggio situated in Pech and will work there for six months, IPN reports.
In the detaching ceremony on December 4, Italy’s Ambassador in Chisinau Valeria Biagiotti said the deployment of a new contingent to Kosovo shows that the Republic of Moldova wants to be present and to be an active player at international level. “The deployment of Moldovan soldiers to the KFOR Mission shows that Moldova wants to promote peace and stability globally,” stated Valeria Biagiotti.
Minister of Defense Eugeniu Sturza said that Moldova’s participation with a new contingent is aimed at achieving the undertaken strategic objective to contribute to international security. Moldova has well trained peacekeepers. “Our strategic goal to become a provider of security has been attained. Time has come to pass to a new stage. We should assume a more ambitious objective and should involve more service members in these missions, including women,” he stated.
Attending the ceremony, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the Kosovo Mission under the aegis of NATO is an example of consolidation of peace on the European continent. For Moldova, this is a chance to contribute to international security. “When they return from missions, the Moldovan peacekeepers contribute to the consolidation of peace. I’m convinced that the feeling of duty, the courage and braveness of the military men will enable the National Army to remain a guarantor of peace, of the military security of our country and of the honorable fulfillment of international commitments,” stated the Premier.
More than 300 officers and sub-officers of the National Army have taken part in the previous seven peacekeeping missions.
