US to contribute naval forces to NATO’s Aegean mission, Kerry says
US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters Thursday that the United States intends to contribute naval forces as part of the ongoing NATO patrols in the Aegean Sea to contain the influx of migrants into Greece from Turkish shores.
Kerry made his remarks during a press conference at a summit of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. Diplomatic sources said the details of a US naval presence were still not clear but it did signal the importance Washington attaches to the Aegean the Mediterrenean and its desire for NATO to continue its patrols in the area.
The summit, which discussed a series of pressing global issues, also discussed the possibility of extending NATO naval patrols in the central Mediterranean.
