International Day of UN Peacekeepers Marked at Ministry of Defense

CHISINAU, May 29, 2019 — The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was marked today within a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defense. The ceremony was attended by the institution’s leadership, the National Army Commanding Corps, UN representatives to our country, and service members who have participated in international missions.

UN Resident Coordinator ad interim (a.i) to the Republic of Moldova, Rita Columbia, appreciated the Moldovan service members’ performance within foreign operations thus contributing to peace building efforts in the entire world. “Since 2003, the Republic of Moldova has participated in UN peacekeeping operations by deploying personnel in vulnerable security zones including Liberia, The Ivory Coast, Sudan and Georgia. This more than anything demonstrates the Republic of Moldova’s important commitment to peace and security across the globe,” said Rita Columbia.

Minister of Defense Eugen Sturza stated that one of the National Army’s strategic objectives is to increase the participation of Moldovan service members in international peacekeeping operations. “The 127 officers who have been deployed so far to countries from Africa and Europe have proved that the National Army has professional human resources who are able to ensure peace in every corner of the world,” mentioned Eugen Sturza.

The Minister of Defense added that, in the future, the National Army will improve the quality of training for the deployed soldiers in order to ensure a better interoperability with the countries participating in foreign missions.

During the event, the peacekeepers were decorated with National Army medals.

The participants also observed a minute of silence in the memory of the military, police, and civilians — 3,700 people — who died during UN missions.

So far, 127 Moldovan officers have been deployed as military observers in Georgia, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Kosovo, and at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).

Currently, 12 National Army service members are in UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, Central African Republic, Kosovo, as well as at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in New York, USA.