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Brussels /Â AFP
The European Union begun training the Libyan coast guard as part of efforts to curb the growing influx of irregular migrants from North Africa, EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said on Thursday.
“Today we are starting the training of the Libyan coast guard in Operation Sophia which is a very important step,” Mogherini said as she arrived for a meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels. “I think cooperation also in that respect with NATO would be important and we welcome that very much,” she said.
The EU and NATO have been discussing increased overall cooperation in the face of new security challenges, such as in Ukraine and Syria. “We are together here because a stronger Europe means a stronger NATO,” alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg said NATO had just launched its own Operation Sea Guardian in the Mediterranean to help support Operation Sophia.
“Today we will discuss how to deepen NATO-EU cooperation and partnership further … including in areas of countering hybrid threats, cyber defence, exercises,” he added. The EU launched Operation Sophia last year after hundreds of migrants died when their rickety boats sank off southern Italy, sparking popular outrage at their plight.
The central Mediterranean route has seen more migrants risk their lives in recent months after the EU reached an accord with Turkey in March to halt an influx refugees who crossed the Aegean Sea to reach Europe last year.