"The participation is also in line with the country`s independent and active foreign policy."
Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has sent as many as 1,966 personnel to join the UN peacekeeping forces, according to the chief of the Defence Forces` (TNI) Peacekeeping Mission Centre, Brigadier General Imam Edy Mulyono.

"The personnel are assigned to various countries, including Lebanon, South Sudan, and Haiti," he said at a seminar on "Indonesia as Rising Middle Power" here on Wednesday.

Imam stated 1,790 personnel belonged to the military, while there were 155 police members and 21 military observers. "They are involved in 16 peacekeeping missions under the UN," he added.

"Indonesia is proud to be involved in the peacekeeping missions. Based on a UN report, Indonesia is ranked 15th out of 117 participating countries in terms of the number of peacekeeping personnel it contributes," he said.

Other countries among the top 15 contributors to the UN`s peacekeeping forces are Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Jordan, Ghana, and South Africa.

Imam said Indonesia`s active participation in the UN peacekeeping missions was in line with the preamble of its constitution.

"The personnel are sent under the coordination of the foreign and defence ministries upon the request of the UN. TNI only prepares personnel to be selected for the missions," he explained.

Imam said the preparation was not easy as the personnel had to meet the requirements set by the UN, such as foreign language speaking ability, computer literacy, and driving skills.

He noted the government had set up an Indonesia Peace and Security Centre to train peacekeeping personnel.

"The training centre was officially opened by the President last year. It can accommodate 1,500 personnel," Imam added.

The secretary of the directorate general of multilateral cooperation, Supratikto, said the country`s participation in the missions showed Indonesia`s commitment to world peace.

"The participation is also in line with the country`s independent and active foreign policy," he added.

"The missions boost Indonesia`s reputation and provide an opportunity to improve the professionalism, skills, and knowledge of the personnel sent to join them," Supratikto said.
(Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/S012)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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