UNITED NATIONS, March 26: A contingent of 1,023 Pakistani soldiers and nine military observers were decorated with the United Nations peace-keeping medal at a ceremony in Cote d’Ivoire Bouake, says a UN press statement issued here on Wednesday.

The ceremony held at the airfield part of the city was chaired by the Force Commander of the United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI), Maj-Gen Fernand Marcel Amoussou.

The Pakistani contingent Commander and Commander of Sector East of UNOCI, Brig-Gen Tariq Javed, in his address said that there had been a Pakistani military presence in Ivory Coast since 2004 serving in perfect harmony with the local population.

Maj-Gen Amoussou thanked the people of Bouake for their support for UN units deployed in the city and appreciated the work done by the Pakistani contingent and its outstanding contribution for the implementation of UN mandate.

Pakistan is the world’s largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peace-keeping operations. It currently has more than 10,600 military and police personnel serving in 13 missions.