Regional government and law enforcement representatives from Somalia visited the NATO flagship HMS CORNWALL 13 August off the port of Boosaaso.  The delegation, headed by the Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, Mr Abdil Irazaq Gaaiyte met the NATO Task Force Commander, Commodore Steve Chick CBE Royal Navy. The meeting was the first direct engagement between the Boosaaso authorities and the NATO Task Force since its arrival in the region on 29 June 2009.
The purpose of the visit was to establish a working relationship between NATO, the Government, Bari regional authorities and local law enforcement agencies. Following briefs by both parties much common ground and opportunity to co-operate further was identified.

 The Task Force Commander, Commodore Steve Chick Royal Navy said:  ‘I welcome the opportunity to work with the Minister and his colleagues from Boosaaso and the Bari Region. The purpose of today’s meeting is to work out how our efforts can best be combined to deter piracy and disrupt any attacks before they take place. Although they operate from shore and we at sea, there is a shared goal; that is stopping piracy and the damage that it brings not only to international shipping but also to Somalia as a whole. There is much common ground and we must use this opportunity to align our efforts as best we can to bring maximum pressure on the pirates and those that support them’ more…

Reuters reported Thursday that the French Defence Ministry has asserted
success by NATO and the EU in recent anti-piracy operations in the Gulf
of Aden. Citing declining numbers of attacks each month since November
2008, allied efforts have served to curb piracy in the area.

These anti-piracy operations are a robust display of international
cooperation and resolve and have further demonstrated the enduring value
of our nearly 60-year old alliance.  In the face of new and evolving
threats here in the 21st Century, NATO continues to redefine itself, shaping the
global security environment to safeguard the freedom of our citizens and
increase security around the world.