KINSHASA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union will maintain its garrison in Kinshasa following the smooth passing of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s historic parliamentary and presidential elections at the end of last month, a senior EU official said here on Tuesday.

    Finnish Defense Minister Anneli Taina, whose country holds the current EU presidency, made the remarks after talks with President Joseph Kabila.

    Taina reiterated the EU support for the July 30 elections in the DRC, adding that the 25-member European bloc had provided one billion euros (about 1.28 billion U.S. dollars) in aid to the country since 2002.

    Taina arrived here on Monday for a two-day visit. His agenda included an inspection of the EU mission, aimed at upholding security and the smooth running of the voting.

    The EU soldiers joined a 17,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force in the DRC, the world body's biggest mission. Of the 1,100-strong EU garrison in Kinshasa, 200 are combat troops. They were scheduled to stay on for at least four months after the elections.

    Meanwhile, more than 1,300 on-call EU reinforcements are stationed in nearby Gabon. They were also tasked with providing security for the DRC's elections, the first multi-party polls in four decades in the central African giant.

    Millions of Congolese people cast their ballots on July 30, hoping to turn a new page in the history of the war-devastated nation. The result is expected to be known in mid to late August. If no candidate gains over half of the ballot, a second round of voting will be held. Enditem