Turkey in contact with West African countries to rescue kidnapped sailors.

Turkey“We are in contact with the regional countries and their relevant institutions. We are following the developments very closely,” Çavuşoğlu told the reporters on Jan. 25 at the Turkish Parliament.

 off the West African coast in the Gulf of Guinea, killing an Azerbaijani sailor and kidnapping 15 others with Turkish citizenship. Sailing under the Liberian flag, the M/V Mozart ship was traveling from the Nigerian city of Lagos to Cape Town, South Africa, when the attack took place late Jan. 22.

The Turkish Ambassador to Libreville is in close contact with the Gabonese officials who have taken necessary security precautions for the ship and its sailors, Çavuşoğlu said, informing that the process for the transportation of the body of the Azerbaijani sailor from Gabon to Azerbaijan via Turkey has begun.

Çavuşoğlu also informed about the countries that Turkey has contacted and sought cooperation to rescue the sailors.

Similar attacks have happened in the same region in the past, and this latest attack should be a lesson to regional countries and company owners to take additional security measures, Çavuşoğlu stated.

 and all other senior Turkish officials are closely following the developments and doing whatever necessary to safely rescue the Turkish kidnapped sailors, Çavuşoğlu said.

<span style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); color:rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:georgia," font-size:16px"="">According to reports, the pirates disabled most of the ship’s systems, leaving only the navigation system for the remaining crew to find their way to the port.