Spain ends peace mission

Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon announced on October 18 that Spanish involvement in the European peacekeeping mission in Bosnia had come to an end after 18 years. She made the declaration in the city of Sarajevo after presiding over the transfer of authority of the Mission from Spanish to Austrian hands.

The ceremony finished with almost two decades of Spanish presence in the region and comes just a year after the country also ended its presence in Kosovo.

“What happened in the Balkans should serve to remind us all that international missions are necessary,” said Chacon.

Spain's involvement in the peacekeeping mission there began in 1992 during the civil war in the region and the 18-year commitment has seen 23 Spanish troops lose their lives.— Xinhua