Remembrance Ceremony for 11 EUFOR Soldiers
On 12 January 2017 EUFOR military and civilian personnel gathered at Monument Park in Camp Butmir to commemorate the deaths of 11 servicemen from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia who were killed in a helicopter accident on the same day in 2008. The Charge d’Affaires from the Macedonian Embassy, Mr Aleksandar Krstevski; Chief of Staff EUFOR, Brigadier General Albert Sáfár; and Commander NATO, Brigadier General Giselle Wilz attended this ceremony of remembrance.
L-R Macedonian Deputy Ambassador, Chief of Staff EUFOR and Macedonian Senior National Representative to EUFOR. Photos: EUFOR/Weiss
EUFOR soldiers formed a Guard of Honour next to the Macedonian Memorial Stone to welcome the distinguished guests and take part in the commemoration. During the ceremony 11 candles were lit to signify the lives lost, after which the Macedonian Senior National Representative in EUFOR read out the names of the fallen.
In his speech, Brigadier General Albert Sáfár said: “I am delighted to welcome representatives from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to today’s commemoration ceremony, not only to stand beside us in unity as we remember our fallen comrades, but to send back word to their families and friends that their memory continues to be honoured and remembered at this time each year by EUFOR.”
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is one of the five ‘partner nations’ in EUFOR who contribute troops but are not part of the EU. They currently have 3 military personnel working in BiH as part of Op Althea.