Winter Medal Parade in Nicosia

Szöveg: Lt.-Col. Dr. László Ujházy | 2018. február 27. 13:44

By yearslong traditions, this year again the winter medal parade was held at the Nicosia HQ of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), inside the UN Flight Hangar at the site of the former international airport in the buffer zone. The event was attended by a large number of Hungarian peacekeepers serving on the island.

Founded by the UN in 1964, the UNFICYP medal “In the service of Peace" was awarded to soldiers who have already served at least three months with UNFICYP. During the event, besides the Hungarians, several Argentine, Brazilian, British, Chilean, Canadian, Paraguayan, Serbian, Slovak and Ukrainian service members received medals.

At the central ceremony, the medals were pinned on the soldiers by Ms. Elizabeth Spehar, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of Mission UNFICYP; UNFICYP Force Commander Major General Mohammad Humayun Kabir; and the ambassadors of the troop contributing nations. On Hungary’s behalf, Erik Haupt, the Ambassador of Hungary to Athens honored the medal parade with his presence.

At the end of the event, the Head of Mission praised the peacekeepers’ dedicated service. The ceremony closed with a march, and then continued inside a neighboring hangar in the tents of the nations, where the soldiers presented their traditional cuisine. The UNFICYP Sector Four medal parade will be held on 8 March.