UK to join Nato refugee patrols in Aegean
David Cameron announces Royal Navy role as he prepares to meet European leaders to discuss crisis
The UK military is to join Nato forces intercepting and returning people trying to reach Europe from Turkey, as David Cameron prepares to meet European leaders to discuss the escalating migration crisis.
The prime minister announced that the Royal Navy was deploying the amphibious landing ship RFA Mounts Bay as the first UK contribution to the Nato deployment in the Aegean Sea. The vessel, which carries a Wildcat helicopter, will join naval vessels from Germany, Canada, Turkey and Greece as part of Nato’s first intervention in the migration crisis.
“We’ve got to break the business model of the criminal smugglers and stop the desperate flow of people crammed into makeshift vessels from embarking on a fruitless and perilous journey. That’s why this Nato mission is so important. It’s an opportunity to stop the smugglers and send out a clear message to migrants contemplating journeys to Europe that they will be turned back. That’s why the UK is providing vital military assets to work with our European partners and support this mission.”
As the EU’s chief immigration policymaker, Dimitris Avramopoulos, predicted some 100,000 migrants and refugees would reach the country this month alone, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras’s leftist-led government demanded Europe share the burden of handling the crisis. About 3,000 people are landing on Greek shores from Turkey every day, officials say.
Read the full article on The Guardian website
Related Articles
Filippo Grandi called on governments to intensify diplomacy
January 2016. The new UNHCR chief urges governments to invest more energy and resources to resolve wars and conflicts.
U.N. releases new report on its work in Lebanon
27/04/2016. U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini chaired the briefing at the UNESCO office in Bir Hasan.
Rescuing migrants in the Strait of Sicily: 80,000 hours worked during the first seven months of 2015
08/31/2015. From 1 January to 31 July of this year, 81,408 hours have been spent at sea with the dedication of those conscious of their duty to help their fellow creatures.
