Germany on Sunday urged the European Union to reach quickly an agreement on a mission to protect the bloc’s merchant ships in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and newly appointed French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne held a joint press conference where they emphasised the importance of the military operation in the Red Sea.
Baerbock said that “negotiations at the EU level are ongoing and we hope to reach a conclusion quickly.” She added that the German government is actively involved in the negotiations.
Prior to that, EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said that the organisation was sending proposals to the member states of the association on the establishment of a mission to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.
On Monday, 8 January, the official representative of the Union’s foreign policy service Peter Stano announced the intention of the EU diplomatic chief to start consultations with the countries of the community on a possible special European mission in the Red Sea.
The US Air Force resumed airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Saturday, a day after Washington and London struck targets in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The attacks killed five people and wounded six. The Houthi group declared all US and British targets “legitimate targets” for its forces in response to their “direct and declared aggression” against Yemen.
In a show of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli onslaught since 7 October, the Houthis have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea belonging to Israeli companies or carrying goods to and from Israel.
Referring to Israel’s war against the Gaza Strip, Baerbock said Germany was doing its best to secure the release of all prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Hamas has held about 136 Israelis since the cross-border attack on 7 October. In response to the Hamas attack, Israel launched sustained air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 23,968 Palestinians and injuring 60,582, while some 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.
