AFM soldiers honoured with Dutch medal for peace in Somali anti-piracy operation

They were taking part in the EU’s Atalanta naval mission to curb piracy off the East African coast.

The soldiers were awarded a commemorate medal by Ducth ambassador Jan Gabrielse and the Johann De Witt captain Ben Bekkering, in the presence of their families and the AFM brigadier Martin Xuereb.

Their military contribution was discussed at the highest levels during the very recent visit the Dutch Minister of Defence Van Middlekop paid on Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi in Malta.

Minister Van Middlekop commended the way the Maltese-Dutch teams worked alongside each other and both sides also agreed that co-operation between the militaries of the two EU member countries continues in the future.

It was also during this visit that the Dutch Minister of Defence formally announced that he was recommending that the Maltese soldiers in front of us today are awarded the same ‘Medal for Peace Operations’ as the Dutch Government is awarding the rest of the ship’s crew who served on this anti-piracy operation.

“As an island nation that is dependent on free and unencumbered sea lines of communication, and with the second largest ship registry in the EU, Malta welcomes the important contribution that the EU provides to maritime security,” Franco Debono, the parliamentary assistant in the Office of the Prime Minister, said.

Amongst other missions, the Maltese soldiers took part in anti-piracy operations on land, and the collection of information and surveillance, and relationship building with fishermen in the area. In one mission, the Maltese soldiers, led by Sergeant Alan Harvey, had intercepted a boat carrying arms which were then thrown out at sea upon seeing the Maltese officers approach. The alleged pirates were arrested aboard the HMLS Johann De Witt.