30.11.2018.
Members of the Serbian Armed Forces are good and secure peacekeepers
In the Pančevo military barracks “National Hero Stevica Jovanović”, a send-off ceremony has been organised today for members of the First Army Brigade infantry company and force protection platoon composed of members of the Training Command, as well as staff officers and members of the national support element to the multinational mission UNIFIL in the Republic of Lebanon.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin, Lieutenant General Milan Mojsilović, Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Milosav Simović, Army Commander, Brigadier General Jelesije Radivojević, Deputy Commander of the Training Command, Brigadier General Željko Petrović, Commander of the First Brigade, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, local governments, religious communities, as well as families and friends of our peacekeepers.Addressing the audience, Minister Vulin pointed out that when we see who we are sending off, we can only feel pride that we are a country and people who can produce such people that can restore peace, order, law for other peoples and other countries, and above all faith in humanity.
- You are going to a country that is devastated by hatred, wars, constant conflicts, and religious extremism. You are going to a country where people have learned that peace can quickly and easily disappear. There are few peoples that, like Serbian people, know the value of peace. That is why you will be good and safe guardians of what is most valuable in every human life. Those who were in Lebanon before are leaving behind for you a good and honest name, they are leaving for you respect of people who you will work with, and make sure that you also leave the same clean and bright name for those who will come after you - the minister of defence said.
According to him, Serbia is proud of every soldier, as it was proud in the wars it waged without its will and without its guilt. So it is proud today as well that it can restore peace to other countries and other nations.- We will worry and we will not tell you every time how much we miss you, how much we worry every morning and every night, but you will know how much we think about you and how much we miss you and how much we are waiting for you to return - Minister Vulin said, urging peacekeepers to keep in touch, to take care and always to keep in mind that, although they are under the UN flag, they are above all under the flags of Serbia and the Serbian Armed Forces.
According to Major Ninoslav Đurđić, preparations for the infantry company of the First Army Brigade to be sent off to the UNIFIL peace operation in Lebanon, lasted for three months.
- We are the 13th rotation engaging in this mission. During the preparations, we used all the experiences from the previous rotations to get more information about life and work in the mission - Major Đurđić emphasizes, adding that they expect that their working in a multinational environment will contribute to the exchange of experiences and knowledge with colleagues from other countries engaged in that UN mission.
Leader of the force protection platoon in the UNIFIL mission, Captain Novak Kukić, underlines that his departure to this multinational operation, as a Serbian Armed Forces officer, is a great challenge for him, as well as honour and responsibility to present his country in the best way.
- The peacekeeping mission is also the opportunity to expand knowledge, exchange experience, to improve and, of course, to create and build friendships - Captain Kukić pointed out.The infantry company will be engaged in peacekeeping within the Spanish contingent in the East Sector, while the force protection platoon will be part of the Italian contingent in the Sector West, and staff officers are also among those heading to Lebanon.
At today's ceremony, the minister of defence handed the state flag to the commanders of the infantry company and the force protection platoon, who promised on behalf of their colleagues that they will perform all the tasks assigned to them in the mission honourably and professionally, in accordance with the mandate and tasks of the mission.
The UNIFIL mission was established by the United Nations Security Council resolutions of the of 19 March 1978, and the Serbian Armed Forces has participated in it since 21st December 2010. Today, 177 of its members are keeping peace in the “the Land of the Cedars”.
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