Minister P. Gajdoš meets with UN Special Representative of Secretary-General for Iraq Ján Kubiš
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- Date: 26.10.2018
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Today (26 October) Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš received UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Ján Kubiš at MOD Main Building. The agenda was dominated by an assessment of the SVK military presence in the NATO Training and Capability Building Activity in Iraq (NTCB-I) and the planned engagement of Slovakia in the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) early next year, which was approved by the SVK Security Council and the SVK Cabinet earlier this month and which still needs to be approved by Parliament.
On ensuring continuity of the stabilisation efforts in Iraq, Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš said: “Slovakia markedly participates in the efforts of the international community to stabilise the security situation in Iraq and to keep the activity of ISIL in the region to a minimum. In view of the fact that the current mandate for the SVK military engagement in the NATO Training and Capability Building Activity in Iraq (NTCB-I) is nearing its end at the end of this month, I am very pleased that the new proposal for the SVK military deployment to Iraq – this time as part of the newly established non-combat NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) – received the backing of the Security Council and the Cabinet last week.” He further emphasised that building security in Iraq is a long-term and challenging process. “Needless to realise that we all are affected by security, because threats neither limit national borders nor their distances,” he added.
Once approved by Parliament, 42 Slovak Army soldiers and Military Police personnel will serve in Iraq as part of the non-combat NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) and also in cooperation with US and ITA Armed Forces personnel. Their task will be to train and advise Iraqi service personnel and to reform the Iraqi defence and security institutions.
On ensuring continuity of the stabilisation efforts in Iraq, Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš said: “Slovakia markedly participates in the efforts of the international community to stabilise the security situation in Iraq and to keep the activity of ISIL in the region to a minimum. In view of the fact that the current mandate for the SVK military engagement in the NATO Training and Capability Building Activity in Iraq (NTCB-I) is nearing its end at the end of this month, I am very pleased that the new proposal for the SVK military deployment to Iraq – this time as part of the newly established non-combat NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) – received the backing of the Security Council and the Cabinet last week.” He further emphasised that building security in Iraq is a long-term and challenging process. “Needless to realise that we all are affected by security, because threats neither limit national borders nor their distances,” he added.
Once approved by Parliament, 42 Slovak Army soldiers and Military Police personnel will serve in Iraq as part of the non-combat NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) and also in cooperation with US and ITA Armed Forces personnel. Their task will be to train and advise Iraqi service personnel and to reform the Iraqi defence and security institutions.
