The first contingent of 10 Croatian army officers left for Sierra Leone at the end of 1999 to join the UNAMSIL mission as unarmed military observers. Since then, members of the Croatian armed forces have participated in eight UN missions and one Military Police platoon is currently in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led ISAF mission.
A total of 108 Croatian military personnel participated in UN missions, and 29 are currently serving in peacekeeping missions (23 unarmed military observers, three staff officers, two officers and a military psychologist).
Croatia is currently involved in the UN missions in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Eritrea and Ethiopia (UNMEE), India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), Western Sahara (MINURSO), Liberia (UNMIL), Ivory Coast (UNOCI), Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Haiti (MINUSTAH).
In December last year, two Croatian military doctors returned from a successfully completed mission in East Timor (UNMISET), where they were attached to the Slovak contingent.
The commissioned and non-commissioned officers who have returned from the UN missions were today presented with awards by Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic. They were also offered congratulations by Parliament President Vladimir Seks, General Petar Stipetic in his capacity as presidential envoy, and Deputy Chief of Staff General Slavko Baric.
The Croatian UN personnel were also greeted by Cornelius Klein of the UN Development Office in Zagreb, who also welcomed the government's decision to participate in UN peacekeeping missions round the world.
The ceremony heard that Croatia was preparing for similar peacekeeping missions in the future by training an infantry company, a military police platoon, an anti-nuclear and anti-biological protection platoon, a mine disposal platoon, two medical teams and a helicopter with a crew.