Information and Public Relations Directorate
E-mail: presamapn@mapn.ro
Contact: 021-319.60.22
Tuesday, January 4, a Romanian Air Force detachment consisting in 4 IAR 330 SOCAT helicopters and the respective crews (40 people) will fly from the 90th Air Transport Base for Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The detachment led by Lieutenant Commander Eugen Suciu will participate to the EU ALTHEA mission launched in December 2, 2004 in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of the increase EU engagement in the region.
ALTHEA, the most important mission the European Union developed till now, succeeds to the successfully ended NATO led SFOR missions in which our country contributed, too.
The Romanian Armed Forces will participate to this EU led mission with the forces already engaged within SFOR (109 militaries) and the four IAR 330 SOCAT helicopters for the missions of transport of equipment and personnel, search-rescue and medical evacuations.
The detachment personnel is structured on groups to be replaced every six months.
The action is a reflection of the continuity of the efforts the Romanian Armed Forces made for reconstruction of security and stability in the Balkans and the support granted for the EU greater implication in the region. This approach inscribes in our country’s larger participation to ESDI in our double quality as a candidate state to the European Union and as a NATO member.
Lieutenant Colonel Gelaledin Nezir, MoND Spokesman