18.04.2012.

Minister visits Serbian peacekeepers on Cyprus

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac led a delegation of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces, which visited our military peacekeepers in a multinational operation in Cyprus on occasion of the upcoming SAF Day. The delegation including Secretary of State Tanya Miscevic, deputy commander of the Joint Forces Command of SAF Maj. Gen. Goran Radovanovic and Chief of the Center for Peace Operations Lieutenant Jelesije Radivojevic.

Serbian delegation was welcomed by Acting Minister of Defence of Cyprus, Minister of Health Dr Stavros Malas.

During a visit to General Headquarters "Blue Berets", Sutanovac met with the commander of forces in Cyprus, Major General Chao Liuom, with whom he discussed the possibility of increasing our military involvement in this mission.

Speaking to our members involved in this island, and stressing the importance of their involvement, the Minister pointed out that this mission was an important factor in raising the operational capabilities and training, as well as Serbian military and diplomatic capacity of our country. He recalled that the former Yugoslavia had a long tradition of participation in multinational operations, which has been continued since 2000.

- You are doing an exceptionally important work, not only for you and your family, but for the whole country - said Sutanovac, adding that even though our country is small, we are aware that unless we participate in the preservation of global peace, we can not expect others to care of us.

What you are doing here today will be six months of an important and beautiful life experience, but it is very important for the state - the minister said adding he did not want to congratulate them on their courage, because they have already confirmed it by joining the Army Serbia, but rather on the decision to be separated from their family for 6 months, finding themselves in a chosen profession and sharing in something that raises the capacity of our country.

According to him, the mission in Cyprus is the mission with the largest number of the members of our army, and it is planned to increase their number and the number of our members who are engaged in the mission, starting with the mission in Lebanon, which will also be expanded. Sutanovac also praised great interest in participating in the missions, stating that there were ,more than 900 candidates interested in the mission, emphasizing the importance of the voluntary departure of the mission.

Visiting the Serbian base "Stefan Nemanja" was spent in conversation with Serbian peacekeepers, and it was also an opportunity to see how those members engaged in the mission in Cyprus spend their lives.

The state owes gratitude to all who bear weans in its name, whether they be in Chad or any other country - said Sutanovac inviting them to as always, continue to give the maximum contribution and, in accordance with our tradition , turn out to be good soldiers.

The Minister stressed that this is the first official visit of Minister of Defense of a mission, giving promise to the future of each practice to become defense minister.

At the end of his address to Serbian peace keepers, Sutanovac said that the time spent in the mission should be used to forge and make the best of friendships and share experiences with members of other armed forces, using it to raise the capacities of our country.

The mission in Cyprus has so far involved 101 member of the Defense Ministry and the Serbian Army. The first group of Serbian peacekeepers was sent in 2010 and consisted of seven members. Today SAF has one staff officer who will spend one year, two military observers, six members of patrol within the Hungarian infantry platoon and 36 infantry platoon in the Slovakian contingent. The platoon also has two female members of the Serbian Army.

The last fourth rotation of the Serbian peacekeepers went to Cyprus on 29 March 2012.