Peru's Defense Minister Jorge Nieto and Armed Forces Joint Command Chief Admiral Jose Luis Paredes Lora bid farewell to Peruvian 'Blue Beret' personnel going on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR).
A send-off ceremony was held on Tuesday morning for the officers, who will participate in the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The ceremony also saw the presence of Commander Generals Luis Humberto Ramos Hume (Army), Gonzalo Rios Polastri (Navy) and Javier Ramirez Guillen (Air Force).
At the event, Minister Nieto praised Peruvian soldiers' world-renowned commitment to peacekeeping missions.
"It is your duty to keep up our Armed Forces' high professionalism and ethics level in these peace missions," he pointed out.
Authorities present proceeded to bid farewell and expressed their best wishes to the 205 Blue Beret military officers. The contingent is composed of Army (121), Navy (58) and Air Force (26) members.
Peru's Blue Beret personnel will participate in the construction and maintenance of aerodromes in the African nation. Works involve the construction of landing runways, as well as heliports and others mandated by the UN.
Peru's engagement with MINUSCA takes place under the Memorandum of Understanding between the country and the United Nations, in which the Inca nation committed to support UN's peacekeeping operations.
(END) CCR/DHT/MVB