A group of six Nato military vessels entered Grand Harbour today on a four-day port visit aimed at strengthening the cooperation and understanding between Nato and Malta.

Standing NATO Mine Counter Measure Group 2 (SNMCMG2), comprises six mine-hunting ships from Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

SNMCMG2 Commander Abdulhamit Sener from the Turkish Navy told the media on a press tour on the flagship vessel, TGS Mehmetpasa, that this visit was important for Nato.

Assistant Staff Officer Elias Togas, from the Greek Navy, said the visit will allow Nato units to foster relationships with civilian and military authorities and build stronger relations already developed through Malta’s membership in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Programme.

The ships will be here until Monday when they will take part in an exercise with the Armed Forces of Malta Maritime Squadron.

The SNMCMG2 ships visiting Malta are: TGS Mehmetpasa (Turkish Navy), ITS Alghero (Italian Navy), ESPS Turia (Spanish Navy), TCG Akcakoca (Turkish Navy), HMS Ledbury (British Navy) and the FGS Sulzback Rosenberg (German Navy).

The mission’s primary task is to defend sea routes from the underwater mine threat.

The Partnership for Peace is a programme of practical bilateral cooperation between individual Euro-Atlantic partner countries and Nato. It allows partners to build up an individual relationship with Nato, choosing their own priorities for cooperation.

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