The United Nations expressed its gratitude to Türkiye for its contributions to its peacekeeping missions around the globe in a statement released Wednesday.
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix thanked Türkiye for its strong support of the United Nations peacekeeping efforts and the service and sacrifice of its uniformed personnel deployed around the world under the U.N. flag, said the organization.
It described Türkiye as a “longstanding contributor of peacekeepers” to the U.N. and noted that the country currently provides 179 military and police personnel, including 24 women, to eight U.N. peace operations, which makes it the 60th largest contributor.
Türkiye’s largest deployment is with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where, 110 peacekeepers serve mostly as part of UNIFIL’S Maritime Task Force, the organization revealed.
Türkiye also provides uniformed personnel to the U.N. missions in South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Kosovo, Sudan and Somalia.
“The U.N. particularly appreciates Türkiye’s deployment of naval personnel and ships to UNIFIL’s Maritime Task Force, which is integral to maintaining peace,” said Lacroix. “Turkish military and police make a tangible difference wherever they serve. On the ground, they demonstrate a high-level of professionalism and dedication and we are deeply grateful for their continued contribution.”
Lacroix sent his respects to the six Turkish peacekeepers who lost their lives over the years while serving under the U.N. flag, as well. “We will never forget their sacrifice,” he noted.
Türkiye also endorsed the secretary-general’s "Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)" initiative, which aims to strengthen peacekeeping through more targeted mandates, stronger and safer operations, better equipped and trained forces, and by mobilizing support for political solutions.
U.N. Peacekeeping has been operating since 1945 as “an instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace.”
Since its establishment, Türkiye has contributed $2.9 million to the force’s fund, according to a 2021 statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
Ankara assures it will work to actively participate in U.N. efforts to maintain international peace and stability as well as help make peacekeeping operations more effective.
