Contingent of the Serbian Armed Forces sent off to UNIFIL

General Ljubisa Diković, Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, with his guest, General Claudio Graziano, Chief of Defence Staff of the Italian Armed Forces, has visited today the Special Brigade in Pancevo, where he attended the send off ceremony for the Serbian contingent of peacekeepers to the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Lebanon.

 

Welcoming the lined-up members of the force protection platoon that will be carrying out their tasks within the Italian contingent during the next six months in Lebanon, their relatives and friends, as well as representatives of the local government, the Serbian Orthodox Church and other guests present, General Ljubisa Diković recalled the long tradition of participation officers, NCOs and soldiers from Serbia in UN peacekeeping operations.

 

– This tradition has lasted for already six decades, ever since your predecessors were in the same area and the same peace mission. You are leaving for the new tasks of securing the UN mission headquarters in Lebanon. Before you, three platoons executed similar tasks, in a very responsible, disciplined and professional manner. We heard that from the mission commander and from all others who have had the opportunity to follow the work of our units. I am sure that you will execute your assignments just like your predecessors, and even better. You must always know that you have an obligation to decently represent Serbia and its army; that you must perform your tasks accurately, precisely and on time. Flawless performance of duties and tasks ahead of you, this is something that is expected from the Serbian troops. That is what all of us expect of you, as commanders, but that is also expected by your families, that will be with you every day in the mission. Not physically, but definitely by their soul, General Diković said and then handed the Serbian flag to the unit commander who is leaving for Lebanon.

 

The Serbian peacekeepers were greeted with the appropriate words also by the Chief of Defence Staff of the Italian Armed Forces, General Claudio Graziano, and then the commander of the Peacekeeping Operations Centre, Colonel Milivoje Pajović, introduced to the guests the Force Protection Platoon commanding personnel.

Before the send off ceremony for our peacekeepers, during the visit of the Special Brigade, commander of this elite unit, Brigadier General Zoran Veličković, informed the guest from Italy about the composition and tasks of the brigade. Then they were shown the tactical display of weapons and equipment used by the paratroopers, scouts, divers and other members of the anti-terrorist units within this element.

 

Generals Diković and Graziano visited the shooting range, where members of the anti-terrorist battalion, among other things, showed the marksmanship skills of shooting from a pistol and automatic rifle and resolving hostage situations. Members of the 72nd Reconnaissance and Commando Battalion demonstrated a remarkable level of martial art skills.