Ship’s captain lauds increased participation in patrolling by GCC navies
By Sarah Diaa
Abu Dhabi: HMS Dragon, part of the British Royal Navy’s fleet, is patrolling the Arabian Gulf and has just arrived in UAE waters as part of its seven-month-long deployment.
The ship’s presence is part of a long-term commitment between the British and the UAE governments to provide security and stability in the region, Captain Iain Lower said.
Commenting on the ship’s mission and its importance given the situation in Syria, Captain Lower told Gulf News: “[Our presence] is part of wider region stability and it’s part of the fact that if anything were to happen in the wider region, the nation is making a commitment to this area, [and this] is a factor that nations will have to take into consideration.”
He said that he has noticed increased participation from GCC naval forces, saying they are indeed asserting a more dominant role in the region. “We have GCC liaison officers on board and, when we’re out on patrol, it’s incredibly useful that we can feed this information back in straight away, so the coordination is there.”
Via: http://gulfnews.com/
