EU Foreign Policy Chief Urges Member States to Boost Contributions to Red Sea Commercial Vessel Protection Mission

The head of European Union diplomacy has urged member states to increase their contributions to the EU's mission in the Red Sea.

According to Reuters and other sources, Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated on the 22nd (local time) following an EU foreign ministers' meeting held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that more military assets must be deployed to the EU's Operation Aspides to protect commercial vessels navigating the Red Sea from the threats posed by Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi rebels.

In response to disruptions to vessel operations caused by Houthi threats in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the EU has been dispatching member state naval vessels to the Red Sea under the name Operation Aspides since 2024.

Kallas noted that more than 10 warships are needed to properly carry out the maritime transport route protection mission, but currently, that many warships are not deployed to the region. She appealed, saying, "As the level of threat in this region has increased, more naval and air power are needed."

According to EU diplomats, six warships, including naval vessels from Italy and Greece, are currently deployed to Operation Aspides.

Kallas also stated in a letter sent to the 27 EU member states on the 19th, requesting expanded contributions to Operation Aspides, that the issue would be discussed at upcoming EU foreign and defense ministers' meetings.

The Houthi rebels have rapidly expanded their influence along the Red Sea coast over the past few weeks. This has further complicated maritime transport routes in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz where ship traffic has already decreased significantly due to the Iran war, dealing a direct blow to the EU such as soaring European oil prices.

Warning that "disruptions occurring in key maritime chokepoints such as the Black Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have widespread ripple effects beyond those regions," Kallas called on member states to actively contribute to Operation Aspides.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.