Participants in the meeting of Chiefs of Naval Staff of the 5 + 5 Initiative member countries expressed mutual confidence in the future of relations between the Navies of countries in the region, for a better understanding of common arising challenges.

They welcomed Libya’s initiative to create a coordination and research centre, in collaboration with the European Union.

Participants then took positive stock of the projects carried out through various programmes and mechanisms in the framework of maritime security cooperation. These include the Virtual Center for Maritime Traffic Control which ensures a smooth exchange of information between the maritime operations centers.

They also discussed “Seaborder”, an operational training organized by the navies of the member countries as well as the mechanism of mutual assistance and cooperation in the fight against accidental maritime pollution.

Participants then reviewed the naval coordination mechanism and its implementation through a team that will hold its next meeting in November 2021 in Spain to establish a multinational forum to coordinate all maritime issues of the 5+5 initiative including control and security.

The 5+5 Defence Initiative was launched following the signing in Paris of the Declaration of Intent in 2004, on cooperation in the field of security.

It brings together France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain (northern shore), and Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia for the southern shore.

The 11th meeting of the Chiefs of Naval Staff of the 5+5 initiative member countries ended Tuesday.

Source: Tap News Agency