No: 51, 25 February 2016

North Atlantic Council (NAC) in Permanent Session approved on 24 February 2016, the modalities of the activity to be conducted by the NATO naval units with a view to supporting national and international efforts to cut the lines of human trafficking and illegal migration within the Aegean Sea.

NAC decision is a corollary of the proposal made by the Defence Ministers of Turkey, Germany and Greece at the NATO Defence Ministers’ Meeting held on 10-11 February 2016, on the basis of the Joint Action Points agreed by His Excellency Ahmet Davutoğlu, Prime Minister of Turkey, and Her Excellency Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on 8 February 2016 in Ankara.

In accordance with this decision, which showcases the importance we attach to the prevention of human trafficking and illegal migration within the Aegean Sea, NATO naval units will conduct monitoring-surveillance-reconnaissance activities in support of national and international efforts.

We wish that NATO units’ support will positively contribute to our efforts aimed at preventing the ongoing humanitarian tragedy within the Aegean Sea.