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United Nations

Greece to Send Troops to Bosnia-Herzegovina

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Greece is considering sending between 500 and 1,500 troops to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, amidst a possible Turkish deployment of 1,000 troops to the region. The decision comes after U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali announced that he would accept Turkish troops, if other countries do not provide sufficient forces. Greece's Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias has stated that the country's initial position was to avoid Balkan involvement, but now must reassess its stance.

Key Takeaways:

  • Greece is considering sending troops to Bosnia-Herzegovina in response to a possible Turkish deployment of 1,000 troops.
  • The decision to send troops would be contingent on the United Nations accepting the Turkish forces.
  • The Greek Defense Ministry and General Staff are currently working on a plan to dispatch troops to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  • Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias emphasized that Greece's initial position was to avoid Balkan involvement, but now must reassess its stance.
  • The Greek government believes that countries with a direct interest in the region, such as neighbors or those with historic interests, should not be involved in the peacekeeping effort.
  • Private Greek television station Antenna-1 reported that Bosnian Serbs are opposed to the dispatch of Turkish troops due to their perceived sympathy for the Bosnian Muslims.
  • Evangelos Venizelos, Greek Government Spokesman, stated that Athens would keep its options open and continue to monitor the situation.

Statistics:

  • 500-1,500 troops: the estimated number of Greek troops that could be sent to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  • 1,000 troops: the number of Turkish troops that the United Nations is considering accepting.
  • 1993: the time period with no specified date, the article only mentions the President of the former Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic's two-hour meeting in Belgrade with Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias.

Sources:

  • Eleftherotypia (Greece's newspaper)
  • United Nations (via U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's statement)
  • Antenna-1 (private Greek television station)
  • ET 1 (Greece's state television station)

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