Kristin Lund

BELGRADE - Members of the Serbian defense ministry and armed forces engaged in the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus were granted the UN medals for their excellent service, the Serbian ministry of defense issued a release on Wednesday.

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic will on August 22-24 visit the Serbian Armed Forces troops deployed in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Cyprus and Lebanon, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon named the first ever woman to serve as the head of a UN peacekeeping operation Monday, appointing a Norwegian commander to the UN mission in Cyprus.

Major General Kristin Lund of Norway, 56, will replace outgoing Major General Chao Liu of China in mid-August.

Norwegian Major General Kristin Lund became the first woman to head a United Nations peacekeeping force after the was appointed to command a mission in Cyprus.