Today, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Major General Sashko Lafchiski, attended the official Change of Command Ceremony of the KFOR mission at the invitation of the Commander of JFCNP, Admiral Stuart Munsch,
The ceremony took place at the “Film City” camp in Pristina, where the outgoing commander, Major General Enrico Barduani, handed over command to Major General Özkan Ulutaş. The newly appointed General Ulutaş comes from the position of Director General of the Directorate for Technical Services at the Turkish Ministry of National Defense and is the first commander to serve in this role for a second time in the NATO KFOR mission.
During the visit, General Lafchiski held a meeting with the Commander of the Regional Command – West (RC-W), Colonel Lorenzo Mangia, as well as with members of the Macedonian contingent deployed in this command. At the meeting with Colonel Mangia, the high professionalism, dedication, and contribution of the Army personnel in accomplishing their tasks were emphasized, as well as the excellent cooperation between the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia and KFOR.
During his meeting with Macedonian peacekeepers deployed in RC-W, General Lafchiski was briefed on the challenges they encounter while performing their duties and highlighted their dedication, professionalism, and discipline.
The Army of the Republic of North Macedonia has been part of the KFOR mission since November 2020. Currently, the contingent consists of two platoons deployed within the Regional Command – West and staff officers serving in the mission’s headquarters in Pristina.
