Why Turkish Frigate Was Sent to Aegean Sea

The Turkish Frigate TCG Barbaros was sent to the Aegean Sea, where it will take part in a NATO squadron to combat illegal migration and human trafficking.

Deployment of NATO warships in order to reduce the flow of illegal migration to the EU was announced after a meeting between Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on February 8 in Ankara.

The decision to send a second NATO naval group was made on February 11 at a meeting of defense ministers between 28 NATO member states in Brussels, reported Turkish publication Hurriyet.

The Turkish vessel will operate mainly in the territorial waters of Turkey and only at the orders of the squadron commanders it can sail elsewhere.

TCG Barbaros will also conduct surveillance of the Turkish coast to prevent the transport of illegal migrants to the Greek islands.

According to the EU's border agency Frontex, 68 thousand migrants moved to the European Union via Turkey in January of this year, which is 38 times more than in January of last year.

In 2015, about 1.8 million workers came to the EU. The European Commission stated that the current migrant crisis in the world is the biggest, since the Second World War.