Austria has contributed a contingent to the “United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus” (UNFICYP) since April 14, 1964, after the UN Security Council gave the then UN Secretary-General Sithu U Thant a mandate to deploy a UN peacekeeping force of more than 6,300 men in March 1964. At the time, Austria provided a field hospital of 55 people.
On the occasion of the anniversary, Defense Minister Tanner said: “Austrian soldiers have made an important contribution to maintaining peace in Cyprus from the very beginning. In the meantime, with a deployment strength of more than 300 ‘peacekeepers’, we were also one of the largest troop contributors. The climatic conditions posed a major challenge in terms of mission management. Above all, however, the tensions between the parties to the conflict demanded the utmost diplomatic action from our soldiers. As an honorary member of the ‘Association of Austrian Peacekeepers’, I have a particularly close relationship with our soldiers deployed abroad. I am therefore particularly pleased to be able to congratulate you all on this milestone anniversary.”
In 1972, with the reduction of the Irish contingent on Cyprus, the Austrian contingent grew to battalion strength – around 300 soldiers. Tensions on the island reached their peak in 1974 with the overthrow of the Cypriot president, Archbishop Makarios. At the time, parts of the Austrian UN battalion were involved in the fighting around Nicosia airport. On August 14, three Austrian “peacekeepers” fell victim to a Turkish airstrike near Goshi. A total of 16 Austrian soldiers fell or died during their deployment on the Mediterranean island.
Around 17,000 Austrian peacekeepers were deployed in Cyprus. After the withdrawal of the Austrian UN battalion in 2001, Austria still occupied some staff functions in the multinational staff. Currently, two officers and one non-commissioned officer are serving for peace in Cyprus.
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