Baku-APA. Austria decided to withdraw its United Nations peacekeepers from Golan Heights, it was confirmed on Thursday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
In a statement jointly released by Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger in Vienna, they explained that the freedom of movement of UN peacekeepers "de facto no longer exists," and that the threat to Austrian soldiers "has risen to an unacceptable level."
"The safety of our soldiers is our priority, so this step is necessary," the statement read.
Recently, Syrian government troops and Syria's armed opposition have been fighting a fierce battle for the control of the border area.
The two sides on Thursday entered the post of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) near Quneitra, prompting the Austrian government to withdraw its peacekeepers, according to Austrian media.
The UNDOF was established in May 1974 and consists of about 1,200 servicemen and civilian personnel. The Philippines and India also have peacekeepers posted in Golan, but Austria's soldiers make up the largest contingent of the approximately 400 UN peacekeepers.
The withdrawal of Austrian peacekeepers will create a huge gap in UN peacekeepers.
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