Turkey: NATO Vessels Arrive in Istanbul

Wirth said that since November 2001 they had been charged with preventing terrorism in line with a NATO decision upon the request of the United States in accordance with Article 5 of the NATO charter. He said that they shared their intelligence with NATO countries and acted in cooperation with domestic coast guard forces. Wirth added that they assisted all kinds of vessels in case of a danger, and also informed coast guard officials of relevant countries on the issue of refugees. There are eight warships vessels belonging to Turkey, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Italy and Greece within STANAVFORMED. The three vessels will depart from Istanbul next Tuesday.