Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, said the warships, now under German command, will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance to help end Europe's gravest migrant crisis since World War II.
Ships from NATO Standing Maritime Group 2 "will start to move now" on orders from U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme commander in Europe, Stoltenberg said.
"This is about helping Greece, Turkey and the European Union with stemming the flow of migrants and refugees and coping with a very demanding situation," Stoltenberg said, calling the situation a "human tragedy."
Earlier this week, the International Organization for Migration said 409 people have died so far this year trying to cross the sea to Europe, and that nearly 10 times as many migrants crossed in the first six weeks of 2016 as in the same period last year. Most come from Turkey to Greece and then try to head north through Europe to more prosperous countries like Germany and Sweden.
The three NATO warships will provide "important information" to the Greek and Turkish coast guards and other authorities, Stoltenberg said. According to NATO's website, the flotilla is composed of a German navy flagship, the Bonn, and two other vessels, the Barbaros from Turkey and the Fredericton from Canada.......http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/World/2016/Feb-11/336726-nato-moving-naval-group-to-aegean-without-delay-for-migrant-mission-stoltenberg.ashx
11/2/15
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- Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Defence Ministers - Opening remarks...
"Good afternoon.
We have just addressed how our Alliance is responding to a changed security environment.
Europe is facing the greatest refugee and migrant crisis since the end of the Second World War.
Driven by conflict and instability on our southern borders, as well as the criminal networks that traffic in human suffering.
We have just agreed that NATO will provide support to assist with the refugee and migrant crisis.
This is based on a joint request by Germany, Greece and Turkey.
The goal is to participate in the international efforts to stem the illegal trafficking and illegal migration in the Aegean.
NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2, is currently deployed in the region under German command.
It will be tasked to conduct reconnaissance, monitoring and surveillance of the illegal crossings in the Aegean sea in cooperation with relevant authorities.
And to establish a direct link with the European Union’s border management agency Frontex.
As part of the agreement, Greek and Turkish armed forces will not operate in each other’s territorial waters or air space"....http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_127972.htm
11/2/16
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Migrant crisis: Nato deploys Aegean people-smuggling patrols...
ReplyDeleteNato ships are being deployed to the Aegean sea to deter people-smugglers taking migrants from Turkey to Greece, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg says.
The announcement followed a request from Turkey, Germany and Greece at a defence ministers' meeting in Brussels.
Mr Stoltenberg said the mission would not be about "stopping or pushing back refugee boats".
Nato, he said, will contribute "critical information and surveillance to help counter human trafficking".
The decision marks the security alliance's first intervention in Europe's migrant crisis.
US defence secretary Ashton Carter earlier said that targeting the "criminal syndicate that is exploiting these poor people" would have the greatest humanitarian impact.
The decision was made to help Turkey and Greece "manage a human tragedy in a better way than we have managed to do so far," Mr Stoltenberg, Nato Secretary General, said......http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35549478
Erdoğan: Turkey may open gates to send migrants away ...
ReplyDeleteRecep Tayyip Erdoğan has confirmed the content of a leaked conversation between him and top European leaders back in November, and appeared to reiterate his threat to allow migrants to leave Turkey by opening bordergates at a time of continent-wide efforts to curb the heavy flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece.
During an address to a business group, the Young Businessmen's Confederation of Turkey (TÜGİK), in Ankara on Thursday, Erdoğan said he had told the European Union's two top officials, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, that the time could come when Turkey would open the gates for migrants to travel to Europe.
"In the past we have stopped people at the gates to Europe, in Edirne we stopped their buses. This happens once or twice, and then we'll open the gates and wish them a safe journey, that's what I said," he said on Thursday.
A Greek news website said on Monday that Erdoğan, in a meeting in November with Juncker and Tusk, had threatened to flood Europe with migrants if EU leaders did not offer a better deal to help Turkey manage the refugee crisis....todayszaman.com
11/2/16