AFM soldiers welcomed home

A Maltese National Contingent, made up of 21 specialised AFM soldiers, was welcomed back to Malta this morning upon returning from a four-month piracy mission off the coast of Somalia.

The soldiers form part of the '1' Regiment AFM and were deployed on board the Dutch Navy ship HNLMS De Zeven Provincien. The deployment was part of EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta.

During a ceremony aboard the ship, which is berthed in the Grand Harbour, this morning, the Maltese officers and soldiers were officially presented with the Dutch Commemorative Medal for Peace Operations in recognition for their contribution to the EU mission.

Captain Shoonen explained that the assignment was part of Operation Atalanta 2014, an EU counter-piracy mission. He said that while Malta and the Netherlands had a good relationship in the past, such deployments further strengthened cooperation between the two.

Meanwhile, AFM Commander Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi said that, through missions such as this and notwithstanding the country's size, Malta could contribute to peace in international waters. "It is our duty to help curtail piracy in these areas," Curmi said. "This may have been our first such mission but I have no doubt that it won't be our last."

Describing the soldiers as the "backbone of the mission", Curmi said that he was "immensely proud" of the personnel and also expressed his gratitude towards the relatives of the soldiers for their support. "You have proved us right and showed that the Maltese soldier is hard-working and courageous," he said. "You have made your country proud."

On his part, Chief of Defence of the Netherlands Tom Middendorp praised the work the Maltese group carried out and cited their empathy and compassion as a salient attribute.

He described how the soldiers showed their support for the Dutch football national team through this summer's World Cup and mourned the loss of the Dutch passengers who lost their lives when a Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down over Ukraine in mid-July.

"You also participated in activities with great enthusiasm from carrying out cleaning duties to fighting piracy," he said. "Your tasks were many, they were complex and diverse but the cooperation and control you portrayed was very good. You were exceptional and we look forward to working with you again as piracy still poses a great threat to our waters."

Middendorp said that although no pirates were caught during the mission, the presence of HNLMS De Zeven Provincien alone would have scared pirates off. "You did an outstanding job on your watch. You secured the area and made it safe for shipping. You should be immensely proud."