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The Romanian servicemen that participated in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were decorated for their service to peace, announced, on Sunday, the Ministry of National Defence (MApN), as reported by AGERPRES.
According to a release of the MApN sent to AGERPRES, the head of the Defence General Staff (SMAp), Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, has visited on Sunday the servicemen of the Carpathian Pumas Helicopter Detachment deployed in Camp Castor in Mali. He was accompanied by the commander of the Joint Forces Command, Major General Dorin Ionita and the deputy head for Operations and Instructions of the head of the Air Forces General Staff, Brigadier General Iulian Patilea.
The working visit took place on the occasion of the conclusion of participation of Romania in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
The programme of the visit included meetings with the servicemen and the ceremony to decorate the personnel, during which the commander of the detachment, colonel Ciprian Marin, together with UN officials, decorated each serviceman of the Romanian contingent the UN medal for service in the support of peace. Furthermore, national decorations were conferred on the servicemen that were distinguished in their manner of conducting missions during the participation in emergency situation interventions.
"I believe it a duty of honor to visit each theater of operations where the Romanian Army has forces deployed. This year we have had international missions with 1,200 servicemen, in a period of pandemic, on three continents. I am very glad that I managed to be here, in front of you, and, especially, I am very glad you concluded your mission successfully. All the signals that I've received from the contingents that you cooperated with were positive," said General-Lieutenant Daniel Petrescu, according to the release.
In his turn, the commander of the Carpathian Pumas Detachment emphasized that the process of optimizing the helicopters to respond to the operational demands specific to the theater of operations Mali and the preparation of the military personnel were essential factors to accomplish the capability necessary to conduct successfully this UN mission.
The agenda of the visit included the meeting of the head of the Defence General Staff with the commander of the German contingent in Mali and commander of Camp Castor, colonel Peter Eichelsdorfer.
"The discussions had regarded the security situation in Mali and the expected developments of MINUSMA in the coming period. Furthermore, colonel Peter Eichelsdorfer has underscored the participation of Romanian servicemen, not only in the missions where they contributed to the medevac of a total number of 44 UN servicemen, but to the multitude of personnel transport missions, scouting and air patrol missions, material transport missions as well as training missions," the MApN release mentions.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), on the basis of Resolution no. 2100/2013 of the UN Security Council, saw the participation of 57 countries.
On the basis of a decision of the Supreme Council for the Country's Defence (CSAT), Romania's contribution to the new system of managing UN peacekeeping capabilities in Mali was approved. MApN has provided, in the force deployment plan for 2019-2020, a detachment of 120 servicemen with four IAR-330L transport helicopters, in view of participating in peacekeeping missions.
"In the 15.10.2019-15.10.2020 period, the personnel and helicopter of the Romanian Army have contributed to the international efforts of the UN to stabilize and maintain peace in the mission in the Mali Theater of Operations by conducting a number of 1,300 flight hours in the sub-Sahara area and participating in 15 joint operations, totaling over 350 missions (over 400 sorties) during daytime or nighttime. (...) In the coming period, the servicemen of the Carpathian Pumas Detachment will go through the process of repatriating personnel, armament, communications equipment, logistic support equipment and the four transport helicopter IAR 330 Puma L-RM," MApN mentions.
