Brussels – “The European Union is deeply saddened by this tragic loss of life. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the service of peace.” This was stated by the European Commission’s spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Anour El Anouni, today (30 October), as he conveyed the Berlaymont’s condolences for the Italian victims of the CH-47 military helicopter that crashed yesterday in the Brčko area (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Yesterday (29 October), an Italian helicopter “belonging to our EU force in Bosnia and Herzegovina – the EUFOR Althea mission, which operates daily in support of peace and stability in the country – crashed during a routine training exercise,” the spokesperson explained during the daily press briefing. There were four fatalities, two from the Army and two from the Red Cross, and “a further 11 members of staff were injured: their conditions are currently stable, and they are receiving medical care,” clarified El Anouni.
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, yesterday conveyed her condolences to the Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, and the Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto, stating on her social media channels that she was “deeply saddened by the loss of life”. The High Representative added that her “thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected,” emphasising that “EUFOR personnel serve every day to uphold peace and stability” and that their “work remains vital.” Europe “stands in full solidarity with Italy at this difficult time. We remain in close contact with the EUFOR Commander and our EU representatives on the ground,” she emphasised. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also expressed her condolences on her social media channels, reiterating her “most sincere sympathy for the injured and all those affected by this tragedy”.
This morning, Crosetto reached the injured and the other military personnel in Bosnia, accompanied by “Italian military medical staff to monitor our lads closely,” as announced on his X profile. The minister also explained that “the anguish and suffering caused by this tragic event will alter” what had been “planned for Armed Forces Day on 4 November.” Specifically, tomorrow the Villaggio Difesa – a large exhibition and interactive area set up in Rome at the Circus Maximus and promoted by the Ministry of Defence – will no longer be “the venue for a celebration to thank the Armed Forces, but a place to express, through a prayer, a flower, a card or simply by being there, our solidarity with the fallen.”
EUFOR Operation “Althea” was launched on 2 December 2004, taking over the activities previously carried out by NATO’s predecessor mission, SFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, EUFOR is responsible for the Dayton Peace Agreement, the treaty that brought an end to the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. “Europe stands in full solidarity with Italy at this difficult time,” El Anouni reiterated.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
