Combined Task Force 151 pledges greater cooperation with SPDF
Source: Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release 
The Commander of Combined Task Force 151 , Rear Admiral Oguz Karaman, and his delegation met the Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne and high ranking officers of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces, to discuss the fight against piracy earlier 23 November.
Present for the meeting was the Chief of Staff of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF), Colonel Clifford Roseline, Acting Commanding Officer in the Seychelles Coast Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Georges Adeline, Defence Advisor to the Government of Seychelles, Colonel François Laurent, Technical Advisor for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Philippe Michaud and Security Consultant to Minister Joel Morgan, Ministry of Home Affairs and Transport, Mr. Raymond St-Ange.
They discussed ongoing cooperation in defence matters, and proposals were made for increased cooperation between the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), based in Bahrain, to assist Seychelles further in its anti-piracy efforts. Of note, there is a Seychellois defence officer based full time at the Force headquarters in Bahrain.
It was noted during the meeting that joint efforts by naval powers in the region to tackle piracy have been successful, as for example the Turkish Navy warship TCG Gemlik, the flagship of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), was the warship which successfully interdicted nine suspected pirates in a skiff 400 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia on the 21 November 2012 [Suspect pirates later released due to lack of evidence]. The pirate skiff had been detected by a EUNAVFOR Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA), based in Seychelles.
Notes
In accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and in cooperation with non-member forces, CTF-151′s mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to engage with regional and other partners to build capacity and improve relevant capabilities in order to protect global maritime commerce and secure freedom of navigation.
CTF 151 is a multinational force. Command of CTF-151 is rotated between participatory nations on a four to six month basis.
The force flow in CTF 151 is constantly changing as ships and aircraft from a variety of countries assign vessels, aircraft and personnel to the task force.
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