Welcome for the Peacekeepers from the Central African Republic

Tuesday, 1.8.2017 | Multinational Operations

The members of the fifth SAF contingent who were, in previous six months, engaged for providing medical care to the personnel of the UN mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) arrived in Belgrade.

The members of the fifth contingent of the Serbian Armed Forces who were, in previous six months, engaged for providing medical care to the personnel of the UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) arrived in Belgrade early in the morning.

70 Serbian peacekeepers were welcomed at Belgrade airport “Nikola Tesla” by Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin, Chief of General Staff of Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković and Acting Head of Military Health Department of the Ministry of Defence Colonel Uglješa Jovičić.

Minister Vulin thanked the peacekeepers on behalf of Serbian Armed Forces and on behalf of the state of Serbia and stated that the word about their work had reached Serbia before their return:

- The word of you as excellent soldiers, brilliant doctors, and fantastic people reached us before you have returned. Your superiors from the international organisations, from the United Nations had only the words of praise for you. The people you worked with spoke of you as top level professionals and good people – Minister Vulin said. He sent the word to the peacekeepers that the entire nation was proud of them and their deeds:

-You have made us proud, you have made us haughty. You gave us hope that the generations of doctors, generations of nurses, generations of technicians, generations of all those who will equally bravely and proudly carry our flag as you did, are yet to mature after you, having you as an example – Vulin underscored.

Chief of General Staff of Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković congratulated the peacekeepers on the successful realisation of all the tasks in the mission, on the soldier-like behaviour and dignified representation of the Serbian military and state.

Commander of the fifth contingent of the members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces engaged in the UN mission (MINUSCA) was Colonel Dragan Antić from the Army Command, who, while reporting to the minister of defence, stressed that all the members of the contingent were healthy and feeling well, and that they were at that moment more experienced and even more capable to defend the Republic of Serbia if need be.

Yesterday, the members of the sixth rotation of the Serbian Armed Forces departed for the Central African Republic and they are going to be deployed in that African country for next six months.

Apart from the members of Serbian field hospital Role 2 deployed in MINUSCA mission, Serbian Armed Forces have seconded an officer to the position of Deputy Commander Sector West and two military observers and staff officers which is in total 75 individuals.

Serbian military hospital has been deployed to the Central African Republic since 11th December 2014.