New contingent of Moldova's National Army leaves for Kosovo on peacekeeping mission

Chisinau, 20 July /MOLDPRES/ - The National Army today detached the 19th contingent of servicemen in the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Attending a ceremony held on this occasion was the leadership of the Defence Ministry and the General Staff, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited for Moldova, military and their relatives.     

”During six months, you will carry out various missions in an international scene of operations. It will not be easy, as you will operate in a new environment; yet, I know that you have the education needed, in order to fulfill the tasks established at the highest level. Do not forget that you are ambassadors of Moldova in the KFOR mission. Your achievements there, in Kosovo, are the achievements of the National Army of Moldova as well,’’ Defence Minister Anatolie Nosatii said at the event.      

For his part, Ambassador of the United States to Moldova Kent Logsdon said that ‘’it is an honour for me to wish success to these soldiers in their future deployment within Moldova’s 19th contingent in KFOR – an important peacekeeping operation in Kosovo. The contribution to the international security is a noble duty and the United States is proud to be a continuous partner with you in this effort.’’        

Attending the ceremony on detaching, Head of NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau Michaela Šimáková said: ‘’The present security context proves once again the importance of partnerships. KFOR is an example of multilateral cooperation, within which 20 allies and 7 partners work together. Moldova’s participation is a remarkable proof of its commitment to the international security and stability. Also, this contributes to the consolidation of the National Army’s capacities and to the continuing of the enhancement of its inter-operability with other nations.’’      

The 19th National Army’s contingent, detached in the KFOR operation, is made up of 41 professional servicemen. In Kosovo, they are to fulfill missions of patrol, guard of strategic objects, as well as engineering research of the area within its responsibility. The mandate of the KFOR-19 contingent will last six months. Starting from 2014, over 740 National Army military have taken part in the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. The KFOR mission is led by the North Atlantic Alliance, in line with the United Nations’ resolution.    

Photo: Defence Ministry