Moldova's peacekeepers begin UN mission in Lebanon
Moldova’s third military contingent has officially started a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
At a ceremony at the multinational base in Shama, Moldovan peacekeepers took over responsibilities from a Latvian contingent, as UN officials and international partners looked on.
The Ministry of Defence reports that Moldovan peacekeepers deployed for the UNIFIL mission have started their duties in Lebanon. The handover took place during a transfer of authority ceremony at the "Sector West HQ UNP 2-3" multinational base in Shama, where Moldovan soldiers took over duties from their Latvian counterparts, who are part of the Italian contingent.
The UNIFIL-3 Commander, Major Dumitru Viniciuc, received the UN flag and took up his responsibilities in the presence of the Commander of Sector West, Brigadier General Roberto Vergori, and troops from Italy, Latvia and Moldova.
UNIFIL is a United Nations mission to which Moldova has deployed a 32-strong contingent of professional soldiers, who arrived in Lebanon on 8 September.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
