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<p>I refer the Hon. Member to answers the Secretary of State for Defence, my right
Hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), gave to the House on 7 March (Official
Record, Cols 23-37). The purpose of this NATO operation is to provide monitoring,
surveillance, and reconnaissance (MSR) of the Aegean migration routes to better enable
Turkish and Greek coastguards and Frontex (the EU’s border management agency) to intercept
the migrant boats and disrupt the business model of illegal migration. It is worth
noting that the formal mandate of NATO’s activity is neither interdiction nor search
and rescue, but if UK vessels encounter migrants in distress at sea, they will be
rescued in accordance with international obligations and arrangements made for them
to be returned to land.</p>
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