COM EUFOR, Major General Alexander Platzer, welcomed His Excellency Phd. Tibor Benkő, the Hungarian Minster of Defence today for a vaccine donation at EUFOR Headquarters in Camp Butmir.
A Hungarian Air Force plane delivered the vaccine donation to Sarajevo as well as the Minister of Defence who was welcomed by His Excellency Sifet Podžić the Minister of Defence BiH at the airport. The vaccines were donated specifically for the local civilian employees of EUFOR Operation Althea, however the remaining vaccines will be available for all personnel in Camp Butmir.
The vaccine donation of 1,100 COVID-19 vaccines, was received by COM EUFOR Major General Platzer. Present also for the ceremony was Deputy Head of Ministry of Defence of BiH, Mijo Krešić, His Excellency Krisztián Pósa, the Hungarian Ambassador to BiH and EUFOR Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Szilárd Gerőfi.
COMEUFOR remarked
“For me as COMEUFOR the Hungarian support and donation is essential for the safety of all our personal in the mission area, especially the civilians. It also shows the high degree of sense of responsibility not only for your soldiers but for the mission and its people as a whole.”
Immediately after the donation ceremony the vaccines were administered to the first recipients in the EUFOR Austrian medical centre by the Turkish medical staff.
Hungary are one of the leading troop contributing nations to Operation Althea and have a very long and proud history in the mission. Hungarian military personnel are employed in a range of appointments within EUFOR HQ and the Multinational Battalion, with EUFOR Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Szilárd Gerőfi the senior ranking Hungarian officer in the mission. This donation of vaccinations from Hungary to EUFOR is independent to Hungary’s recent donation of 200,000 COVID-19 vaccines to BiH.
