New Zealand Extends Deployments In Middle East, Africa By 2 Years

New Zealand Extends Deployments in Middle East, Africa by 2 Years

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2020) New Zealand has extended its commitment to defense deployments in the middle East and Africa by two years, a statement from Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defense Minister Ron Mark on Monday said.

A 28-person contingent to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Sinai Egypt and an eight-person contingent in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in Jerusalem have been extended to September 2022, the statement explained. Another four-person contingent taking part in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan has been extended till June 2022.

"Developments in that part of the world can have a global impact, including on New Zealand's security and prosperity. This is why we contribute defence personnel to the region to maintain stability, promote peace, and support the promotion of human rights, humanitarian support and development," Foreign Minister Peters said in the statement.

Representatives of the New Zealand Defense Forces have been part of the UNTSO, which oversees peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East, since 1954 and part of the MFO, which upholds the peace between Egypt and Israel, since 1982.�