EUFOR-21 HUNCON Returns Home

“Bosnia-Herzegovina is a country where a bloody civil war raged two decades ago. Since the signing of the Dayton Agreement, international forces have been guarding and protecting the fragile peace", the colonel said. He added that the results achieved through international cooperation are encouraging, but there is no room for complacency, as tensions still run high under the surface. Participation in maintaining regional stability in the Balkans is in Hungary’s interest due to its geographic proximity.

The colonel praised the excellent and successful work done by the soldiers. “We are proud of you because once again, you have proven that the Hungarian peacekeepers are disciplined and well-trained and are able to cooperate with soldiers of other nations by high professional standards", he emphasized, and finally said thanks to the family members who had carried a great burden in the past months. As he noted, this foreign mission would not have been a success without the stable family background and continuous mental support provided by them.

It was stated that since 2004, Hungary has been participating in Operation EUFOR Althea – an EU-led force deployed to oversee the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement in the former Yugoslavia – and Hungary’s role has gradually expanded throughout this period from individual positions to company-level involvement. At present, the Hungarian Defence Forces are the third largest EUFOR troop contributing nation with a more than 160-strong contingent.

The homecoming ceremony included the presentation of commemoratives and certificates to several soldiers in recognition of their outstanding performance during the international peacekeeping mission, upon the completion of their tour of duty.

The 21st rotation of the HDF EUFOR Contingent has already been the fifth one that was mainly drawn from the personnel of the SAM Regiment, and the seventh one that included soldiers of the Győr unit.

Photo: Zoltán Tischler