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NATO Ships to Send Rescued Refugees in Aegean Back to Turkey

nato-aegeanRefugees rescued by NATO vessels in the Aegean Sea will be sent to Turkey, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday, after the military alliance finalized an operation to monitor people-smuggling networks that transfer people to Greece.
“We will participate in international efforts to cut the lines of illegal trafficking and illegal migration in the Aegean Sea. Because this crisis affects us all,” Stoltenberg said in a statement issued early Thursday.
“NATO’s task is not to turn back the boats,” the NATO chief said, while adding that its vessels had a responsibility to rescue people in distress at sea, as does any boat under international law.
NATO vessels arrived in the Aegean last week, and are carrying out reconnaissance, monitoring and surveillance missions, the NATO official said, adding that the alliance is also establishing direct links with the European Union’s border agency Frontex.
The aim of the operation is to send vital information to the national authorities in Greece and Turkey, to help them crack down on human trafficking and criminal networks fueling the migration crisis.
Four vessels under German command, including personnel from Canada, Greece and Turkey, were rerouted last week from another part of the Mediterranean Sea, according to NATO officials.
NATO vessels participating in the operation can operate in Greek and Turkish waters, but Ankara and Athens have agreed not to send forces into each others’ waters or airspace, Stoltenberg said.
He noted that NATO is uniquely placed to facilitate the cooperation and exchange of information between Greece and Turkey, as both countries are members of the alliance, while only Greece is in the EU.

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