Hungarian Peacekeepers Leave for Kosovo

A send-off ceremony was held this Monday at Kossuth Square in Debrecen, eastern Hungary, for the 22nd contingent of the Hungarian Defense Forces' KFOR (Kosovo Force) Corps before they leave for the Balkan country. From March, the Hungarian soldiers will serve for six months as part of the international peacekeeping force under NATO command, with the task of maintaining order and security in Kosovo.

The backbone of the nearly 400-strong contingent is made up by the soldiers of the 39th Battalion of the 5th István Bocskai Infantry Brigade. Therefore, it was a special experience for them that their send-off ceremony did not take place between the walls of the barracks but in the very center of the city of Debrecen. In his speech, Brigadier General Balázs Szloszjár, commander of the 5th István Bocskai Infantry Brigade, pointed out that “twenty years ago, the second shift of the KFOR Contingent of the Hungarian Armed Forces, including soldiers from Debrecen, stood here to begin their first mission in Kosovo. Therefore, this ceremony is also a nice anniversary. He added that after nearly four months of training, the soldiers are ready for the foreign service they are facing. "I assign to you the task of carrying out your duties with the dignity and discipline of the 5th Bocskai István Bomber Brigade soldier of the Hungarian Armed Forces, to prove that Hungary still has the best soldiers in the world." The 22nd change of the Hungarian KFOR Contingent, headed by Major István Petruska, takes over the six-month external service this March.