Alliance ships visit Red Sea
From mid-March, ships belonging to the NATO Response Force are visiting the Red Sea ports of NATO’s Mediterranean partner countries, as part of the Alliance’s Mediterranean Dialogue.
From mid-March, ships belonging to the NATO Response Force are visitingthe Red Sea ports of NATO’s Mediterranean partner countries, as part ofthe Alliance’s Mediterranean Dialogue.
This is the first time that NATO vessels have sailed through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea.
The ships visited Aqaba in Jordan, from 17 to 21 March, and arevisiting Elat in Israel, from 22 to 26 March. They will visit allMediterranean Dialogue countries with ports in the Red Sea.
The tour comes as NATO is upgrading its political and practicalco-operation with its Mediterranean partners , particularly focusing onthe fight against terrorism, intelligence-sharing and fighting illegaltrafficking.
The visits include joint training activities, such as simulatedclearing of underwater mines using divers and search and rescueoperations.
The six ships taking part in the trip formthe Standing NATO Response Force Mine Counter Measures Group 2, whichhas participated in NATO peace support operations related to the crisesin the Balkans and periodically participates in Operation ActiveEndeavour, NATO’s maritime contribution to the fight againstinternational terrorism.