NIS – Serbian Armed Forces troops returning from the UNIFIL multinational operation in Lebanon were given a ceremonial welcome at the Constantine the Great Airport in Nis on Tuesday.
A company from the 21st Infantry Battalion of the Land Forces 2nd Brigade was welcomed by Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic and the Serbian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Ljubisa Dikovic.
The homecoming ceremony was also attended by Zivojin Dinic, a veteran peacekeeper who took part in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sinai in 1959.
This contingent of the Serbian Armed Forces is returning from Lebanon with the highest marks, Gasic said at the ceremony.
“These soldiers executed the most complex tasks in the peacekeeping mission, carrying not only the Serbian tricolour flag, but also the blue flag of the United Nations. They won the trust of the participants of the mission as well as of the local population”, the Serbian defence minister said.
Participation in peacekeeping missions is significant for maintaining peace in the world, as well as for the Serbian military, General Dikovic said.
“They have all returned from this mission richer by an experience and by friendships with other soldiers and officers, and, certainly, more capable for the tasks that await them here in their country,” he said.
A 130-strong company returned to Serbia on Tuesday after becoming the second such unit to spend six months in Lebanon.
Their task was to monitor the situation along the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon and assist the local population.
A new group of Serbian troops boarded the same plane, which took them to Lebanon for a six-month mission.
