Fifteenth anniversary of peaceful reintegration of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium
Tuesday 15 January 2013 marks the 15th anniversary of the peaceful reintegration of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem into the constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia. On that day, 15 January 1998 ended the two-year mandate of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES), one of the most successful peacekeeping operations in the UN history.
UNTAES was founded pursuant to the Security Council Resolution 1037 from 15 January 1996 for the purposes of implementing the Erdut Agreement. The mission facilitated demilitarization, the start of the process of refugee and displaced persons return, the setting up of police forces and local election in Podunavlje, as well as confirmed the independence, sovereignty and territorial unity of the Republic of Croatia.
The successful completion of the mission's mandate was contributed to by the efforts of the international community, as well as Croatia's firm dedication to realize full sovereignty in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium through negotiations and peacefully, which paved the way for the normalization of relations and cooperation in the region. The successful end of UNTAES and the experience gained makes Croatia a relevant partner in the peacekeeping and civilian missions whose aim is the strengthening of security, as well as the building of trust and peace in conflict and post-conflict areas around the world.
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