NATO Commander meets Korean and Chinese Counterparts in Gulf of Aden

GULF OF ADEN (Nov. 12, 2009) The guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) conducts counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Chosin is the flagship for Combined Joint Task Force 151, a multinational task force established to conduct counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Scott Taylor/Released) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

London Last week, Rear Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi TOSUN, Commander of the NATO Counter Piracy Mission Operation Ocean Shield, met with his counterparts, ROK Naval Escort Task Group Commander Captain KIM Eunsoo and Chinese Task Force Commander Rear Admiral YANG Jun-Fei on the 25th and 27th of April respectively. Republic of Korean Navy and Chinese PLA Navy have supported the counter piracy efforts by providing escorts to the merchant vessels passing through the region. During these warm and constructive meetings, the Commanders had the opportunity to share information and experiences about their counter piracy operations, learn of each other’s capabilities and also discuss matters of mutual concern regarding how to support each other. Speaking about the visits, Rear Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi TOSUN said “I had a chance to meet both Commanders’ predecessors and this was another opportunity for me to meet my counterparts at sea. Having shared our experiences during the first visits, I am pleased to see how useful these kinds of face-toface meetings are to improve the situational awareness and experience amongst counter piracy forces. I am pretty sure that we will further continue to expand and deepen our cooperation and interaction to tackle piracy in the region.”