“SNMG2 is a high-security force of the alliance. We are carrying out a maneuver in İstanbul as part of our mission to carry out defense task against terrorism in the Mediterranean,” Adm. Kahler, the commander of the fleet, told a press briefing aboard the German frigate Bayern, docked off İstanbul’s Sarayburnu promontory. Kahler said the fleet’s İstanbul visit “had nothing to do” with the continuing violence in Syria and the latest incident between Turkey and its southern neighbor, which saw the downing of a Turkish military plane by Syrian forces in international airspace late last month. Kahler said the fleet would stay in İstanbul for three days before setting sail for the Mediterranean again.

Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States are the routine contributors to the fleet. It is usually deployed in the Mediterranean.

Kahler said he will have talks with Turkish officials, including military officials, for the exchange of views on security matters. In addition to its mission of responding in case of a crisis or tension, the fleet also has diplomatic missions.

The SNMG2 will continue its patrol in the eastern Mediterranean until November. The fleet has the capacity and necessary equipment to engage in a possible war with NATO’s approval.