A visit to Bosnia

As a member of the delegation led by President and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovak Armed Forces Andrej Kiska, SVK Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš visited the Slovak soldiers serving with the European Union Force Althea (EUFOR ALTHEA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along with Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Gen Milan Maxim, he brought presents for the 41-strong Slovak Contingent to make their Christmas time more pleasant. Not to be missed was a Christmas tree, ingredients for Christmas cabbage soup, greetings from children of Comenius Primary School in Turany and Pavol Marcely Primary School in Bratislava.

Speaking in front of the gathered soldiers, SVK Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš said: “Let me thank you wholeheartedly for the work you are doing not only for our Armed Forces and the Slovak Republic as a whole, but also for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of EUFOR ALTHEA. I wish you merry and blessed Christmas festivities and that you get started off on the right foot in the New Year and return home safely on completion of your mission.”

Addressing the Slovak troops, SVK President Andrej Kiska said: “You have a fantastic reputation here and, at the same time, you are building a good name for our country. I wish to thank you for that.”

At the beginning of their visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Slovak delegation also met with Maj Gen Friedrich Schrötter, Commander EUFOR. Members of the SVK Armed Forces have served with EUFOR ALTHEA since the inception of the operation.