The Chief of General Staff of ARM, Lieutenant General Metodija Velichkovski at the beginning of his visit to the United States of America had a working visit to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the United Nations (UN) and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Macedonia to the UN.
During the visit in New York, the ARM delegation firstly had a meeting with the highest adviser of the Permanent Mission of France to the UN, Brigadier General Thierry Lyon when they talked about the lengthy experience of France in peacekeeping operations.
Afterwards, General Velichkovski had meetings with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, as well as with the Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, Lieutenant General Carlos Loitey.
At the meetings they talked about several issues connected to the UN peacekeeping operations regarding the military aspect of those engagements, including the contribution of these operations to the higher global safety and the world peace.
During the meetings with the high UN representatives, General Velichkovski pointed out the gained international experience, the strategies and the contribution to the global peace that the Republic of Macedonia gives by ARM units participation in EU and NATO-led peacekeeping missions, as well as by having a representative in the UN mission “UNIFIL” in Lebanon in the last ten years.
The other participants at the meetings pointed out the experiences and the challenges that UN face during peacekeeping operations, but also the benefits and the commitment of the member countries to these missions and the current engagements of UN in peacekeeping operations.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix emphasized that the ARM participation will be very important for ARM personnel in gaining every kind of experience in the UN-led peacekeeping operations.
Earlier, in the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Macedonia to the UN, the Chief of General Staff also met the Ambassador Vasile Andonovski in order to learn about the dynamics and the work of the Macedonian mission in the UN.
The Republic of Macedonia began its contribution in the UN-led peacekeeping operations in May, 2007 by sending one member of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia as a Staff Officer in the Joint Operation Center in Nagura in the mission “UNIFIL” in Lebanon.
