«The active presence of Aspides in the region has guaranteed the safety of seafarers and is helping to secure a route of crucial importance, especially in the current geopolitical context which is extremely unstable», says a spokesperson for the European Commission regarding the possibility that Italy decides to escort ships in the Red Sea outside the framework of the EU mission, as hypothesized on Thursday 17 September by Minister Crosetto. «With the Aspides and Atalanta operations, the EU is providing a fundamental contribution to the protection of maritime traffic in the region», adds Brussels.
Crosetto’s letter to Kallas
The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto – in his letter sent to the High Representative of the European Union, Kaja Kallas – asks for the strengthening of the European Aspides mission with the sending of other military ships by other countries. Italy – according to what we understand – would also be ready to send a second frigate, if requested, but the other countries should contribute to supporting the financial burden of the operation.
Kallas: «Alert level raised»
«Europe is helping to protect maritime traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks: given the worsening security situation, the Aspides operation has raised the alert level of its ships while continuing escort operations». EU High Representative Kaja Kallas writes it. «The Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia are unacceptable and undermine the global economy. I spoke with Faisal bin Farhan – Saudi Foreign Minister – about diplomatic efforts aimed at putting an end to the fighting in Yemen and restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz: maritime passage must be free of obstacles and free.”
The Bergamini escorts the Jolly Oro to Bab el-Mandeb
In the last few hours, the frigate Carlo Bergamini, engaged in the European operation Aspides, accompanied the Italian merchant ship Jolly Oro, of the shipping company Ignazio Messina & C., during the transit of the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, heading north. This was communicated by the Navy, according to which “the activity falls within the tasks entrusted to the naval forces of the Aspides operation”. For the Navy it is “a concrete signal, arrived with excellent timing, of the importance of maintaining high attention on the safety of commercial navigation in the area”.