London, Jan 21 (EFE). The British Navy will send the military patrol ship “HMS Spey” to Tonga, which was on a mission in Polynesia, to cooperate with humanitarian relief work after the tsunami and volcanic eruption that occurred, the British Foreign Office announced, today, that the South Pacific archipelago.
The UK will also send water supplies, tents and protective equipment aboard the Australian Navy’s ship HMAS Adelaide, which is scheduled to sail today for Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga.
The British government fully funded the shipment on the Australian ship of 17 pallets with items ordered by the government of Tonga, a group of more than 170 islands where about 105,000 people reside, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (Commonwealth of Nations) officially headed by Queen Elizabeth II of England.
“UK supplies and technical expertise will provide urgent assistance to Tonga. We will work with Australia to promote stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.
The Head of the Foreign Office of Australia is with Britain’s Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, on a visit with the aim of strengthening relations with Canberra in the area of security.
Wallace said the UK “stands ready to support what has been our long-standing partner in the Commonwealth”.
In addition to direct assistance, London has offered to fund the dispatch of United Nations crisis experts to work with Tongan authorities and coordinate the international response in the archipelago.
Elizabeth II sent a letter of condolence to the King of Tonga, Topo VI, after the disaster that had caused at least three deaths and widespread destruction.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Tonga,” the British monarch said in that letter. The Queen says the situation “must be very difficult for all those who cannot contact their friends and family, while communications are cut”. EFE
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