BRATISLAVA, September 14, (WEBNOVINY) – Slovakia won prestigious position in the EUFOR ALTHEA European Union mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A Slovak officer became the commander of the coordination center of liaison and observation teams. He is the commander of the Slovak contingent in the operation Robert Zebegney. „The mission has a new structure from September 1. Liaison and observation teams that monitor of the security situation in the country and inform the EUFOR headquarters are subordinated to the newly centralized institution, which is managed by our contingent commander,“ said the Slovak Armed Forces spokesman Milan Vanga.
By gradually reducing the number of troops in the operation, also the number of liaison and observation teams was reduced from 21 to 17. Until now, there were three regional coordination centers, which were reorganized to one centralized department, stationed in Sarajevo. Gradual reduction of the presence of international forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other steps aim to create conditions for the transfer of responsibility for the security situation in the country to the local authorities. At present, serving in observation teams are 144 soldiers from Poland, Austria, Romania, Slovak Republic, Switzerland and Turkey. The role of ALTHEA is to contribute to a secure environment and prevent renewed violence and ensure the implementation of the general framework agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (known as the Dayton Agreement). EUFOR also supports training of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
SITA