Turkey to extend naval forces' mission in Gulf of Aden

Turkey yesterday extended its naval mission in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the territorial waters of Somalia for an additional year, a memorandum issued by the presidency said.

Local media reported that the memo said that the Turkish naval forces operating in the aforementioned regions were “actively ensuring the safety of ships flying the Turkish flag and the merchant ships associated with the country,” adding that they were taking part in joint operations with the international community against acts of piracy, armed robbery and terrorism in the Arabian Sea.”

The naval mission was last extended by the Turkish parliament on 5 February 2020 for a year.

The memo called for extending the mission for another year, starting 10 February 2021 “to continue carrying out the tasks assigned to them in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and to contribute to the international community’s operations combating terrorism in the seas outside the territorial waters of the region countries.”

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