18 Mar. 2005

Alliance ships visit Red Sea News 29/03/2005 - JFC Naples NATO ships Safaga, Egypt 21/03/2005 - JFC Naples NATO ships visit Elat, Israel 14/03/2005 - JFC Naples NATO ships visit Aqaba, Jordan 11/03/2005 - JFC Naples The Standing NATO Response Force Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) will transit the Suez Canal Background NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue & Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Multimedia JFC Naples Photos of the visit 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. 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 are visiting Elat in Israel, from 22 to 26 March. They will visit all Mediterranean Dialogue countries with ports in the Red Sea. The tour comes as NATO is upgrading its political and practical co-operation with its Mediterranean partners , particularly focusing on the fight against terrorism, intelligence-sharing and fighting illegal trafficking. The visits include joint training activities, such as simulated clearing of underwater mines using divers and search and rescue operations. The six ships taking part in the trip form the Standing NATO Response Force Mine Counter Measures Group 2, which has participated in NATO peace support operations related to the crises in the Balkans and periodically participates in Operation Active Endeavour, NATO’s maritime contribution to the fight against international terrorism.