site.btaHaskovo-Based Military Company Given Send-off for Peacekeeping Mission in Kosovo
A military company from the 31st Mechanized Brigade based in Haskovo was sent on a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo on Thursday.
The formal send-off, with a prayer service from Bishop Polycarp of Belogradchik and icons of St George, took place in the central square in Haskovo in the presence of the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, senior military personnel and representatives of local authorities.
The Bulgarian military will be part of Regional Command-West (RC-W) in NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping mission. The 100-strong formation will have four Mercedes vehicles and 13 Ford Ranger off-road vehicles. The troops will be based in Camp Villaggio Italia in Peja/Pec. In the area of responsibility, the servicemen will perform tasks related to patrolling, surveillance and security of facilities.
In preparation for the mission, a two-day exercise was held on February 12 and 13 in an urban environment.
"I am satisfied with the preparation of the contingent. The participants earned a 'combat-ready' rating and received top marks across all evaluation criteria," Admiral Eftimov told journalists, adding that the pay rise in the armed forces was yielding results in motivation.
Asked about a possible Bulgarian participation in a future peacekeeping mission of European forces in Ukraine, Eftimov said that he concurred with the Defence Minister. The Chief of Defence noted that the Ministry had not carried out any planning or analysis, "which does not mean that we are not following the processes within NATO and the negotiations".
/DD/
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