Motion to extend TSK's mission in the Gulf of Aden approved by the Turkish Parliament

The motion, bearing the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stated that United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions were adopted between 2008 and 2021 against acts of piracy and armed robbery occurring in the Gulf of Aden, Somali territorial waters and off the coast, the Arabian Sea, and adjacent regions. Recalling that the TBMM authorized TSK elements to operate in the region with its decision dated February 10, 2009, the motion noted that this period was most recently extended for one year on February 4, 2025.

The motion included the following statements:

"By deploying TSK naval elements, the effective protection of the safety of Turkish-flagged and Turkey-linked commercial vessels navigating in the region has been ensured, active participation in joint operations against piracy, armed robbery, and maritime terrorism conducted by the international community has been achieved, support has been provided for humanitarian aid activities carried out in the mentioned regions, the operational effectiveness and regional experience of TSK naval elements have been increased, and the national policy aimed at maintaining cooperation with relevant countries in this field has been supported, while our role and visibility on a regional and global scale within the UN system have been consolidated."

The motion stated that Turkey attaches importance to the development of international cooperation in the fight against piracy and armed robbery, has supported efforts in this field from the very beginning, and has actively participated in activities within the UN, NATO, the European Union, and the International Maritime Organization. It was recalled that Turkey participated as a founding member in the work of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, established within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1851 dated December 16, 2008.

The motion stated that TSK naval elements participated periodically with frigates and corvettes in NATO's Operation Ocean Shield, conducted between 2009 and 2016, and in the Combined Task Force-151 (CTF-151), established within the Combined Maritime Forces since 2009, and that Turkey assumed the command of CTF-151 seven times between 2009 and 2025, handing over the command it took over for the seventh time on July 24, 2024, on January 22, 2025.

The motion noted that, upon the request of Somalia to the UN Secretary-General, no resolution continuing the previous resolutions was issued by the UN Security Council in 2022 and thereafter regarding the fight against piracy, armed robbery, and maritime terrorism in the Gulf of Aden, Somali territorial waters and off the coast, the Arabian Sea, and adjacent regions.

The motion, which includes information that operations against piracy, armed robbery, and maritime terrorism conducted by the international community based on UN Security Council Resolution 1851 dated December 16, 2008, continue in the region outside of Somali territorial waters, reported that the mandate of the EU's Operation Atalanta, one of these operations, was extended until February 28, 2027, by the decision of the EU Council dated December 16, 2024. The motion stated that CTF-151 activities within the Combined Maritime Forces, in which Turkey also participates, are continuing.

The motion, which states that the deployment period of TSK naval elements in the Gulf of Aden, Somali territorial waters and off the coast, the Arabian Sea, and adjacent regions will end on February 10, 2026, in accordance with the TBMM decision dated February 4, 2025, recorded the following:

"Providing effective support by our country to international efforts against piracy, armed robbery, and maritime terrorism, which endanger international peace and stability and negatively affect our national interests, and contributing to the provision of navigational safety in the region are seen as a requirement of our international and national responsibilities. In this regard, it is considered appropriate to support joint operations against piracy, armed robbery, and maritime terrorism in the regions in question, taking into account the principles and procedures determined in the TBMM decision No. 934, within the framework of relevant international agreements and customs, especially the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, to which our country is a party. With these considerations, I submit for your information the necessity of extending the authorization period granted by the TBMM's most recent decision No. 1440 dated February 4, 2025, for one year starting from February 10, 2026, in accordance with Article 92 of the Constitution, for the deployment of TSK naval elements in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, the Arabian Sea, and adjacent regions, excluding the territorial waters of regional countries, for the purpose of combating piracy, armed robbery, and maritime terrorism, and for the necessary arrangements regarding this to be made according to the principles to be determined by the President, with the necessity, scope, and timing to be appreciated and determined by the President."

The motion was approved with the votes of the AKP, CHP, MHP, IYI Party, and New Way, while the DEM Party voted 'no'.