25 years have passed since the first deployment of SVK troops on a peacekeeping mission
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- Date: 04.05.2018
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Service personnel of the Engineer Battalion Sereď attended a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the first deployment of SVK soldiers outside Slovakia. UNPROFOR in the former Yugoslavia was the historically first mission SVK troops joined after the establishment of an independent Slovak Republic.
SVK personnel served with UNPROFOR between 1993-1996, whereas the Engineer Battalion Sereď provided support to multinational units in all sectors of UNPROFOR across Croatia and BiH, especially in the field of demining, road repairs, bridge construction and repairs, as well as assisting local residents in reconstructing their war-torn infrastructure. Following the end of UNPROFOR in January 1996, SVK engineers moved to serve with UNTAES in Eastern Slavonia (Croatia).
Over the period, members of the Engineer Battalion executed a total of 894 engineering tasks – they built 37 bridges, repaired 631km of roads, destroyed over 30 tonnes of ammunition, and checked 363km of roads and 1,998,305m2 of surfaces for the presence of mines. Their activities were highly commended by UNPROFOR HQ and the UN and considerably contributed to the credit of the SVK Armed Forces abroad.
The ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Unit’s deployment to UNPROFOR and the meeting of SVK and CZE peacekeepers were organised by the MOD in cooperation with the SVK General Staff, SVK War Veterans Union, UN-VETERAN Slovakia, and Sereď City officials. The event was also remembered in a wreath-laying ceremony at the UNPROFOR Memorial in the centre of Sereď.
SVK personnel served with UNPROFOR between 1993-1996, whereas the Engineer Battalion Sereď provided support to multinational units in all sectors of UNPROFOR across Croatia and BiH, especially in the field of demining, road repairs, bridge construction and repairs, as well as assisting local residents in reconstructing their war-torn infrastructure. Following the end of UNPROFOR in January 1996, SVK engineers moved to serve with UNTAES in Eastern Slavonia (Croatia).
Over the period, members of the Engineer Battalion executed a total of 894 engineering tasks – they built 37 bridges, repaired 631km of roads, destroyed over 30 tonnes of ammunition, and checked 363km of roads and 1,998,305m2 of surfaces for the presence of mines. Their activities were highly commended by UNPROFOR HQ and the UN and considerably contributed to the credit of the SVK Armed Forces abroad.
The ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Unit’s deployment to UNPROFOR and the meeting of SVK and CZE peacekeepers were organised by the MOD in cooperation with the SVK General Staff, SVK War Veterans Union, UN-VETERAN Slovakia, and Sereď City officials. The event was also remembered in a wreath-laying ceremony at the UNPROFOR Memorial in the centre of Sereď.
