A Canadian frigate headed to the Aegean Sea today on the orders of Philip Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations, to end the smuggling of refugees in the Aegean Sea.
Canadian Defence Minister, Harjit Sajjan, said in a press release issued on the sidelines of his participation in the NATO defence ministers’ meeting in the Belgian capital, Brussels, that the Canadian ship will monitor activity between the Turkish coast and the Greece islands, collecting information on the smugglers that will then be shared with the Turkish and Greek coastguards.
A statement issued on NATO’s website announced the participation of Canada’s frigate HMCS Fredericton, along with the German navy flagship, the Bonn, and the Barbaros from Turkey in the NATO flotilla to the Aegean Sea.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, 409 refugees died in the Aegean Sea during their attempts to cross from Turkey to Greece during the first six weeks of this year.
Last month, 244 refugees and migrants drowned on the #Turkey-#Greece route.Infographic by The White Canvas#RefugeesWelcome #EU #SyrianRefugees
Posted by Middle East Monitor on Wednesday, February 10, 2016