Serbian Army Chief visits troops in UN mission in Lebanon
Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff General Milan Mojsilović visited the Serbian Armed Forces contingent deployed in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
During his stay in the area of operations, he spoke with members of the Serbian Armed Forces at the United Nations base in Sector East in southern Lebanon and gained first-hand insight into the conditions in which they carry out their peacebuilding and peacekeeping tasks, CE Report informs via the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia's official website.
He commended the contingent for performing its duties in the mission, currently one of the highest-risk missions within the United Nations system, in a responsible, professional and disciplined manner worthy of members of the Serbian Armed Forces. He emphasised that their voluntary decision to deploy to the mission, fully aware of the risks posed by the operational environment, testified to their personal courage and readiness to undertake high-risk and most demanding tasks.
Referring to the incident in which First Sergeant Milovan Jovanović lost his life, General Mojsilović said that this was a grave loss, first and foremost for his family, but also for the Serbian Armed Forces, as Milovan had been an exemplary soldier and non-commissioned officer, and a professional who had earned the respect of his superiors, colleagues and subordinates through his work and his attitude towards the service and the people around him.
Noting that the conduct of the contingent during these difficult moments had demonstrated that they were a strong military team, at their best when circumstances were most demanding, he expressed his gratitude to the Serbian contingent’s medical officer and the Spanish medical personnel, who had done everything in their power to save Milovan’s life.
The Chief of the General Staff expressed his expectation that, in the coming period, members of the Serbian Armed Forces would continue to perform their tasks in a disciplined, responsible and professional manner, while observing operational procedures, properly assessing risks and consistently complying with all safety measures. He wished them a successful completion of their mission and a safe and healthy return to their families in Serbia.
At the base, General Mojsilović also met with the Commander of the United Nations mission in Lebanon, Major General Diodato Abagnara, and the Commander of Sector East, Brigadier General Antonio Ortiz Martínez.
During the meeting, he emphasised that Serbia remained committed to participation in peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the United Nations. He also stressed that the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian Armed Forces demanded a full investigation, the establishment of all relevant facts and the prosecution of those responsible for the attack on the base in which a member of the Serbian Armed Forces was killed.
Photo: Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia
