The Commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, Rear Admiral Emre Sezenler, Turkish Navy, recently made Key Leadership Engagement (KLE) visits to Pakistan and Oman to engage with military representatives.
KLE’s are an important component of CTF151’s mission, with these engagements facilitating and promoting cooperation with Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) regional partners, which include nations within the Middle East that participate in combating piracy and promoting maritime security.
The first period of KLE commenced in Pakistan with a courtesy call to the Turkish Ambassador, Mr Sadık Babür Girgin , where there were productive talks about the dynamics of Pakistan. This was followed by a visit to Director General C4I, Rear Admiral Zahid Ilyas, who served as Commander CTF151 in 2016, where Admiral Sezenler reaffirmed the continued commitment of CMF to maritime security in the Middle East. The Director General Joint Staff, Lieutenant General Malik Zafar Iqbal, also met with Admiral Sezenler where the advantages of interaction between the Navy staffs of different nations under the CMF partnership was emphasised. The Pakistan KLE concluded with a courtesy call to Additional Secretary III, Ministry of Defense Rear Admiral Faisal Rosul Lodhi.
Commenting on the visit to Pakistan, Admiral Sezenler said: “We appreciate Pakistan’s continuing support to CMF in their provision of headquarter and CTF staffs, surface units, and Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) assets. The contribution of Pakistan to maritime security and free flow of commerce is very valuable for CMF and the maritime environment. ”
On conclusion of the Pakistan KLE, Admiral Sezenler and his staff travelled to Oman to visit representatives of their military for the second period of KLE. Again, a courtesy call was made to the Turkish Ambassador to Oman, Mr. Atılay Ersan. Brigadier Bader bin Khalfan al Zadjali, the Commander of the Coast Guard of Oman Police was also visited. During this productive meeting, cooperation and coordination were stressed in terms of rescue operations and maritime security in the area. To conclude, the Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Ahmed Bin Harith Al-Nabhani, and Commander of Royal Navy of Oman, Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis bin Abdullah al Raisi, were also called on, where Admiral Sezenler thanked the Omani military leaders for allowing CMF the use of their sea and air ports.
Upon completion of his busy engagement schedule, Rear Admiral Sezenler said: “These visits are very important in enabling broad discussions with key leaders across the region. Maritime security is important to all nations and CMF will contine to work hard in partnership with these nations to reduce piracy, smuggling and other risks to the freedom of navigation.”
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) 