JEDDAH: TCG Gaziantep, belonging to the Turkish Naval Forces, is sailing out of the Jeddah Islamic Port today after a three-day goodwill visit.
“The visit of the ship should be considered yet another indication of the close brotherly relations Turkey and Saudi Arabia enjoy and which flourish in almost every field,” Turkish Consul General Salih Mutlu Sen told reporters yesterday.
The visit of TCG Gaziantep, he added, is very significant for the region and for further strengthening Turkey’s ties with the Kingdom. The last Turkish naval vessel, a submarine, visited the Kingdom in 1997.
“The main mission of the ship is to fight the menace of piracy, which endangers international marine traffic and lives of sailors in and around the Gulf of Aden,” said a statement from the Turkish Consulate. The trip is made under the international naval force, Combined Task Force 151, which is currently under the commanded of a Turkish admiral.
“The concerned nations that are members of the task force bring their collective capabilities to deter, to disrupt and eventually to bring to justice the maritime criminals in cooperation with the other forces, including the naval forces of Saudi Arabia,” the statement said.
The ship’s staff commander, Mehmet Cem Okyay, visited the Saudi Commander of the Western Region Maj. Gen. Zaal Al-Balawi, Commander of Western Fleet Rear Adm. Abdullah Al-Sultan and other senior officials. He was accompanied by Turkish Military Attaché in Riyadh Lt. Col. Suha Civan.
