News

Solemn atmosphere with Slovenian troops in Lebanon upon UN medal conferral

On Tuesday, 11 September, the Shama base in southern Lebanon, where the 12th Slovenian UNIFIL Contingent is stationed, was filled with a solemn atmosphere due to a UN medal conferral. Members of the Slovenian Contingent received medals for their effort within the peace mission. On this occasion, Contingent Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Vlado Pakiž received the medal from the hands of Commander of UNIFIL Sector West, Italian Brigadier General Gaetano Zauner, whereas he himself presented medals further to other contingent members.

Brigadier General Zauner highlighted the contribution of the Slovenian Contingent to the peace operation. Despite its small size Slovenian contribution enjoys great respect and recognisability among UNIFIL troops and the population of Lebanon. According to Brigadier General Zauner, members of the Slovenian Contingent perform demanding tasks professionally and he thanked them for the correct work delivered so far.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Pakiž, all members of the 12th Slovenian Contingent has throughout the preparations for deployment demonstrated a high level of qualifications and responsibility, which now reflects in the good results of operational tasks in the field. He added that, in addition to their operational tasks, they renovated the contingent’s accommodation facilities and thereby shown their readiness, creativity and strong team spirit. In the conclusion, Lieutenant Colonel Pakiž thanked his men as well as the members of the Italian Armed Forces who have selflessly and professionally assisted in the renovation works. The ceremony concluded with the opening of the contingent’s new accommodation facilities and a banquet delivered by Italian troops as a sign of good cooperation.