A/CDR Mark Chadwick overlooks the city of Pristina, Kosovo.
NZDF's contribution to Kosovo ended September 2008
United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) employed one officer on the staff of UNMIK HQ in Pristina, as a Military Liaison Officer (MLO) from 1999 until the final officer, A/CDR Mark Chadwick, left Kosovo on 30 September 2008.
The NZDF had a lengthy involvement in the Balkans which is now over, with military observers first being sent there in 1992. Two years later New Zealand deployed an infantry company to serve in central Bosnia-Herzegovina. New Zealand's contribution to Bosnia-Herzegovina ended in July 2007 and New Zealand provided a military officer to serve with UNMIK since the mission was first established.
"The withdrawal brings to a close a 16-year commitment to peace and stability in the Balkans region, which at its peak in the 1990s included a 250-strong infantry company in Bosnia-Herzegovina," former Defence Minister Phil Goff said.
"New Zealand has provided a military officer to serve at UNMIK Headquarters in Pristina since the mission was first established in 1999. We will no longer be sending personnel to Kosovo due to the down-scaling of the UN Mission, as the region has stabilised.
"New Zealand officers have been working with UNMIK’s military liaison component, which was responsible for various tasks including liaising with military forces throughout Kosovo. The 38 officers from 27 countries provided military advice to the UNMIK executive and other international organisations operating in Kosovo, and helped assess threats to the security of international civilian personnel.
"The closure of this mission marks the end of a New Zealand Defence Force contribution in Kosovo itself since 1999 and in the Balkans region since 1992. This length of time demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to peacekeeping and reinforces the valuable contribution we continue to make to provide stability and security in the world’s hotspots," Phil Goff said.