Moldovan peacekeepers from the UNIFIL-2 contingent deployed to the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon

CHISINAU, February 14, 2024 — The UNIFIL-2 contingent of the National Army was deployed today to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission.

A ceremony held at Military Camp 142 was attended by Defence Minister Anatolie Nosatîi, Italian Ambassador in Chisinau E.S. Lorenzo Tomassoni, UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova Simon Springett, Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Public Order Lilian Carp, representatives of the Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on National Security of the Romanian Parliament, military attachés and relatives of the servicemen.

Defence Minister Anatolie Nosatîi said during the event that UNIFIL is the first UN mission in which the Republic of Moldova participates with military contingents trained according to international standards that will operate in the area of responsibility of the Italian force command, as in the KFOR mission in Kosovo. “We thank our Italian colleagues for the opportunity to contribute to maintaining international peace and security. I am firmly convinced that Moldovan peacekeepers are well trained and interoperable with the military of other armies and will return home with good experience gained in the theatre of operations”, reiterated Minister Nosatîi.

It should be noted that the National Army’s UNIFIL-2 consists of 33 professional soldiers, including three women, who will perform security and guard missions for strategic objectives and patrolling the area of responsibility.

The decision to deploy to the UNIFIL operation was approved by the Moldovan Parliament in November 2021.

The first contingent of Moldovan peacekeepers deployed to the peacekeeping mission in the Republic of Lebanon in February 2023, where they served for six months.