Acts of piracy and the armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia continue to occupy the international agenda as a prominent international security problem. These illegal activities not only threaten the safety of life and property at sea but also undermine the international trade and maritime transportation. As one of the major seafarer countries, Turkey has also been affected by these illegal activities.

Three commercial vessels called “Yasa Neslihan”, “Karagöl” and “Bosphorus Prodigy” which were either Turkish flagged or operated by the Turkish crewmen were also hijacked. Those vessels were subsequently released. At present, 17 ships related with other countries are still detained by the pirates.

Attaching special importance to enhance international cooperation in the fight against the scourge of piracy and the armed robbery at sea, Turkey has supported the endeavors in this area, actively participated in the efforts of the international organizations and contributed to the deliberations in this regard. In this respect, Turkey has also participated in the “Contact Group” as a founding member which was established pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1851.

With the aim of ensuring the safety of life and property of our citizens, protecting our national interests and securing our international trade activities, the Turkish Government requested an authorization from the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in order to deploy Turkish Naval elements abroad. Following the TGNA’s authorization on 10 February 2009, the Turkish naval frigate “TCG Giresun” (F-491) has been deployed in the region and has joined the US-led multinational Combined Task Force (CTF-151), which was established exclusively to conduct operations to repress acts of piracy and the armed robbery at sea. Six naval vessels from Turkey, United States, Singapore and the Republic of Korea are currently participating in the operations conducted by CTF-151.

As agreed upon, Turkey has assumed the command of CTF-151 until 15 August 2009. On 3 May 2009, the command of CTF-151 was transferred to Rear Admiral Caner Bener on behalf of the Turkish Naval Forces with a handover ceremony that took place at the Combined Maritimes Forces Headquarters in Manama/Bahrain. This also marks the first time that Turkey undertakes the command of a multi-national coalition maritime task force outside NATO.