Argentine Defense Minister bids farewell to blue helmets off to Cyprus

Monday, January 24th 2022 - 09:04 UTC

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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. Read full article

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Veteran
The 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.

I 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.
Jan 24th, 2022 - 10:41 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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pgerman
@Veteran

I 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 !!!
Jan 25th, 2022 - 01:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Pugol-H
Veteran
I 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???
Jan 25th, 2022 - 10:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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