A send-off ceremony of the contingent of the ARM's Second Mechanised Infantry Brigade to ISAF peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan was held Friday at "Mihajlo Apostolski" military barracks in Ohrid.

- Respected soldiers of the Macedonian Army leaving today to biggest and most complex ISAF mission together with your colleagues serving in other missions, are real ambassadors of the country. Through you the Macedonian message of peace reaches far away in the countries of your fellow soldiers and among the citizens of the countries whose safety and peace is kept by you, President Gjorge Ivanov said to Macedonian peacekeepers.

Ivanov said that Macedonia is fully prepared to join equally and formally in frameworks of North Atlantic Alliance.

- Our institutions made all preparations and reforms even more that Macedonia is the most successful example of modern, multicultural, European and democratic society, Ivanov said, adding that full-fledged membership in NATO and EU is the biggest challenge, for which Macedonia will include all social resources and potentials to fulfil it.

DM Konjanovski addressing the Macedonian peacekeepers said that he was convinced that their preparedness and qualities would only improve already great assessment for Macedonia's participation in peacekeeping missions.

In the course of the seventh rotation of ISAF mission, 149 members of Second Mechanised Infantry Brigade together with national representative and three HQ officers will be deployed in ISAF HQ in Kabul.

Macedonian peacekeepers, under the command of British Army, will take part in providing security to the ISAF command in Kabul, patrolling streets and guarding military bases and facilities.

"Scorpions" from First Mechanised Infantry Brigade started the mission in Afghanistan on June 2006 with one infantry mechanised detachment, whereat in the next two rotations their colleagues from second Mechanised Infantry Brigade successfully continued the mission.