SVK military personnel to serve on Operation EUNAFOR MED IRINI
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- Date: 30.09.2020
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It is expected that SVK Armed Forces personnel will serve on Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, which has recently been stood up in succession to Op EUNAVFOR MED Sophia. The proposal to contribute up to five SVK military personnel to the operation has been endorsed by the SVK Government today. Once the mandate is approved by Parliament, SVK soldiers can be posted to EUNAVFOR Operational Headquarters (OHQ), starting from 1 November 2020 at the earliest.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “Also thanks to our military policemen who served on Op EUNAVFOR MED Sophia in the past, we have expertise and experience from the naval operation. Their role on international teams was appreciated especially by our foreign partners and, if our soldiers are deployed again, I believe we will reconfirm that we are ready to do our share in taking on international security challenges.”
As the head of the MOD reminded, members of the SVK Military Police served on Op EUNAFVOR MED Sophia in the years 2017 and 2018. As part of the two six-month rotations, they were members of boarding teams aboard a German Navy frigate. “The Slovak Republic has been in negotiation with Germany over ways to continue this successful cooperation as part of Op IRINI,” added the Minister.
The main aim of Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI is to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, supported by air, satellite and maritime resources. In a support capacity, Op IRINI also seeks to monitor and gather information on illegal crude oil exports out of Libya and has a role to play in developing training capacities for the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy, as well as disrupting the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in line with international law.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “Also thanks to our military policemen who served on Op EUNAVFOR MED Sophia in the past, we have expertise and experience from the naval operation. Their role on international teams was appreciated especially by our foreign partners and, if our soldiers are deployed again, I believe we will reconfirm that we are ready to do our share in taking on international security challenges.”
As the head of the MOD reminded, members of the SVK Military Police served on Op EUNAFVOR MED Sophia in the years 2017 and 2018. As part of the two six-month rotations, they were members of boarding teams aboard a German Navy frigate. “The Slovak Republic has been in negotiation with Germany over ways to continue this successful cooperation as part of Op IRINI,” added the Minister.
The main aim of Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI is to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, supported by air, satellite and maritime resources. In a support capacity, Op IRINI also seeks to monitor and gather information on illegal crude oil exports out of Libya and has a role to play in developing training capacities for the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy, as well as disrupting the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in line with international law.
