India partners with Kazakhstan in joint deployment of troops in UNIFIL

Retired Indian diplomat Syed Akbaruddin who served as India's permanent representative to United Nations on Wednesday shared a video of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) under which Indian troops have partnered with Kazakhstan troops for the purpose of peacekeeping in the UNIFIL. In a first of its kind partnership, the battalion of the two countries has come together under the leadership of an Indian commanding officer. 

"Mentoring by India in UNIFIL is providing a new opportunity to join peacekeeping. It shows the sacrifice of India by giving Kazakhstan troops position in its own units," said Military advisor of UN Lt Gen Carlos Humberto Loitey in the video. "This shows the dimension of India in peacekeeping, to do that for others," he added. 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also praised India for its sacrifices for the peacekeeping mission and said, "India has set  an example to the UN, with its values, sacrificing its women and men to peacekeeping."

Read: Lebanon Accuses Israel Of 'dangerous Provocation'

Read: Lebanon-Israel Border Calm, Day After Cross-firing

India and UNIFIL

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, is a UN-NATO peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Countries across the world send their troops to the region committing to the UN's mission. As of March 2020, India is the sixth-largest contributor in terms of the number of troops in the region deploying over 762 personnel. Indian Battalion's in the UNIFIL has always been at the forefront of the UN's peacekeeping mission. Earlier this year, India had won UNIFIL's environment award for an awareness project that aimed to decrease waste generation, reuse plastic, build greenhouses and promoting a green environment in the war-torn region. 

Read: 'Making Sense': Not A User Of Any Of The Banned 59 Chinese Apps; Syed Akbaruddin Responds

Read: 'Innovation Spree': Syed Akbaruddin Lists Out Improvements In Aviation Services In India