BRATISLAVA, August 22, (WEBNOVINY) — The costs of Slovak officers’ operations and missions of international crisis management have been growing on an annual basis. Last year, Slovakia paid EUR 48.4 million to have its soldiers on foreign missions, while in 2004 it was EUR 16.6 million, points out the Defense Ministry in its evaluation report, which will be on the Cabinet’s table Wednesday. The authors of the report find it crucial to deal with various aspects of these operations and improve their quality at both the Defense Ministry and government levels. Last year, the ministry paid EUR 45 million for missions from its coffers, while EUR 3.4 million was refunded by the United Nations.
Costs of foreign operations and missions grew 9.23 percent in 2010 from 2009. In 2011, a further increase in these expenditures is expected to EUR 52.5 million.
The Defense Ministry suggests better coordination of all accessible forms of assistance (military, civilian and developmental) and emphasizing the value and interests of Slovakia in conflict regions. “It is necessary that the Slovak Republic concentrates not only on securing the participation of members of its armed forces in foreign operations and missions, but also on building the capacities of civilian crisis management,” reads the report.
Last year, Slovakia had fewer soldiers in operations and missions of international crisis management than a year before. In 2010, 520 army members were deployed abroad, while 619 were on foreign missions in 2009, representing a year-on-year drop of 19 percent. Behind this decrease is the withdrawal of members of the Slovak armed forces from the KFOR operation in Kosovo, and partly also the process of restructuring the contingent operating in the ALTHEA operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, states the report. The number of Slovak soldiers serving in the priority operation ISAF grew 30 percent in 2010 compared with a year ago, from 214 to 314.
Last year, Slovak soldiers operated in seven operations and missions in six countries on two continents. Three operations were under NATO command (ISAF in Afghanistan, KFOR, the NATO command in Sarajevo), two operations were under the EU flag (ALTHEA, EUMM in Georgia) and two missions under the U.N. command (UNICYP in Cyprus and UNTSO in the Middle East).
SITA
