MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Argentine Defense Minister bids farewell to blue helmets off to Cyprus
Taiana also highlighted the presence of more than 30 women in this new group Argentina's Defense Minister Jorge Taiana last week bid farewell to the national troops to be deployed in Cyprus as a part of the United Nations peacekeeping Mission.
Taiana presided over the ceremony at the Argentine Joint Training Center for Peacekeeping Operations (CAECOPAZ), located in the Campo de Mayo Military Garrison. “Our blue helmets are especially recognized in the world. I have no doubt that when they are deployed they will know how to sustain that outstanding reputation that they have achieved thanks to the commitment, capacity, professionalism and empathy that they have with the civilian populations that live in conflict zones,” the minister said.
His remarks came before the members of Task Force Nº 59 which is to join the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for six months.
The group is made up of 268 troops from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force to which 19 members of the Armed Forces of Paraguay, Chile and a military observer from Brazil are to join.
They troops will start leaving for Cyprus in groups Monday, Jan. 24, the Defense Ministry reported.
Taiana also highlighted the presence of more than 30 women in this new group, which is ”a sign of our commitment to equal opportunities and rights for all those who have the vocation to defend the Homeland and with the challenge of comply with the commitments assumed in the framework of UN Resolution No. 1325”, he maintained.
UNFICYP was operationally established by the UN on March 27, 1964 in order to prevent a resumption of fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities who clashed over a territorial dispute. Argentina has contributed to this mission since 1993.
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Read all commentsThe Argentine “Blue Helmets” (Berets?) have much to be proud of in their work as a major contributor to UNFICYP. I was commanding the Blue Line West of Nicosia in 1993 when they arrived. Sudden withdrawals of the Danish and Canadian contingent had severely stretched the UK contingent. Argentine responded to a UN ask by sending a hand-picked (Largely professional NCOS) “Task Force” under command of Colonel “Jimmy” Durante. The handover involved British and Argentine soldiers working and living together for up to 8 days and was conducted with an air of nervousness on both sides.
Jan 24th, 2022 - 10:41 am 0I wrote an individual letter to all of my soldiers explaining how the handover was to be conducted: I was a veteran of the Falklands War. The handover went very well and was a testament to the professionalism of the then Argentine Armed Forces. On a visit to the island the then Foreign Secretary commented on the improvement in the Angle-Argentine relationship as a result.
l look back on that tour with a great deal of professional pride given the hostile rhetoric shown by some of the UK press declaring we were “selling off the lives of our Falklands dead.” It was never that.
@Veteran
Jan 25th, 2022 - 01:24 pm 0I really liked your comment. In a web site usually “plagued” by nationalistic and hateful comments, your comment, with the “plus” that your a war veteran, is a “breath of fresh” air.
Congratulations on your post !!!
Veteran
Jan 25th, 2022 - 10:22 pm 0I recall the events you describe (although not involved in any way), I even heard about it from some of the Squaddies who were involved. They reported an amount of ‘suspicion’, however the job was done with no incidents.
I do not recall any “selling off the lives of our Falklands dead” headlines, even in the Sun???
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