Russia & CIS Military Newswire
December 3, 2007 Monday 1:00 PM MSK
Armenia sends 8th peacekeepers’ unit to Kosovo
YEREVAN Dec 3
A farewell ceremony for the eighth peacekeepers’ unit sent to Kosovo
took place at the Yerevan regiment last Saturday.
The eighth unit consisting of 34 peacekeepers will replace the
seventh peacekeepers unit in Kosovo.
"Our peacekeepers are fulfilling with dignity their duty to provide
security for civilians both in Kosovo and Iraq," Armenian General
Chief of Staff, Col. Gen. Seiran Oganian said at the ceremony.
The experience gained by these peacekeepers serves as a good basis
for forming Armenia’s peacekeeping forces, he said. At the same time,
their commitment improves the image of the Armenian army in the eyes
of the international community.
The two years of Armenia’s participation in peacekeeping missions in
Kosovo and Iraq brought its military many awards, including from the
government.
Armenia joined the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in 2004, when the
first platoon of 34 Armenian peacekeepers flew there on February 12.
Armenian ‘blue helmets’ participate in the peacekeeping operation in
Kosovo as part of a Greek battalion. A memorandum on participation of
the Armenian Armed Forces infantry platoon in the peacekeeping
operation in Kosovo as part of the Greek battalion was signed in
September 2003 and was ratified by the Armenian National Assembly on
December 13, 2003.
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