NATO joins the fight against people-smugglers

NATO ships will be patrolling the Aegean Sea on the look out for people smugglers in the region.

The patrols will monitor migrant and smuggler movement in waters between Greece and Turkey.

This decision with immediate effect came from a joint German, Greek and Turkish initiative at a NATO meeting in Brussels which also outlined further security and deterrence measures which call for a heightened troop presence in the Alliance’s eastern region.

Greece and Turkey disliked the prospect of having their waters patrolled by the other country’s vessels and have now chosen a ‘safe third country’ which comes in the form of Germany and NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).

Details are yet to be determined, but it has been said that the SNMG 2, one of four standing NATO groups, will be deployed to the Aegean Sea. The designated group currently consists of five ships under leadership of German combat support ship EGV Bonn. The Group is currently in Cyprus and could be in the patrol region within a couple of days.

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