The Italian frigate ITS EURO will be in the port of Constanta, between 24-28 March, as part of the NATO Public Diplomacy activity in support of the upcoming Summit.

The Distinguished Visitors' Day will be held on March 26, which will include a press event hosted onboard ITS EURO, a ship tour and a demonstration of maritime safety and security information systems.

Participants will include Mr. Jean-Francois Bureau Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy and Vice Admiral Roberto Cesaretti, Commander Operation Active Endeavor Task Force. The Romanian President, Prime Minister, Defence Minister and other Romanian officials were also invited to participate in the event.

Defence Against Terrorism is a theme for the upcoming Bucharest Summit and refers to Operation Active Endeavour (OAE) which is NATO's only Article 5 counter-terrorism mission. ITS EURO has often participated in Operation Active Endeavor.

Under the command and control of Admiral Roberto Cesaretti, Commander, Maritime Component Command Naples, Operation Active Endeavour is NATO's maritime contribution to the fight against terrorism. NATO assets conduct surveillance and monitoring operations of the major shipping lanes through the Mediterranean. OAE has made significant progress toward the time when permanently assigned forces will no longer be required, as the operation will be supported by a network of intelligence and information systems. Currently, 31 nations share maritime data via a non-classified framework, which delivers a consistent and continuously updated picture of the maritime situation.


For more information on Operation Active Endeavor, please visit the web site at:

http://www.afsouth.nato.int/JFCN_Operations/ActiveEndeavour/Endeavour.htm

MoD Press Office