Not accompanying the US, Germany and EU partners choose their own path? Spain shows its stance

On December 28, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said that the country and its EU partners are considering launching a new maritime mission to protect commercial ships from security threats in the Red Sea.

Biển Đỏ: Khước từ đồng hành với Mỹ, Đức và các đối tác trong EU chọn lối riêng? Tây Ban Nha tỏ lập trường. (Nguồn: CPS Fuel)

The EU wants to launch a new maritime mission to protect ships passing through the Red Sea. (Illustration photo. Source: CPS Fuel)

The spokesman said the German government was ready to take part in the mission and it was important for the EU to act quickly in the face of ongoing attacks. However, no decision had been made at this time.

According to German diplomatic officials, in Brussels (Belgium), the EU has conducted discussions on expanding the Atalanta anti-piracy mission to the Red Sea, but no official decision has been made.

The EU anti-piracy naval force Atalanta, established in 2008, is currently operating in the Indian Ocean with the participation of a Spanish naval vessel.

Spain took over command of the EU’s maritime mission from Britain in 2019, as London prepared to leave the EU. Atalanta’s operational headquarters was also moved to the Rota naval base in southern Spain.

On December 27, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that his country opposes deploying Atalanta to join the US-led security coalition to protect shipping from attacks by Houthi forces in the Red Sea.

Mr Sanchez said the Atalanta force did not have the “characteristics” needed to conduct patrols to prevent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. However, Mr Sanchez said his government was ready to support the EU in creating another force to address the issue.

The Red Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, forming the shortest shipping route connecting Europe and Asia.

Since the conflict between the Hamas Islamist movement and Israel broke out on October 7, Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out a number of missile attacks targeting Israel as well as commercial ships headed to Israel passing through the Red Sea.

The force said it would continue its offensive until Israel stopped its military campaign in the Gaza Strip and allowed the distribution of aid to Palestinian civilians in the territory.

The United States has formed a security alliance and launched Operation Guardian of Prosperity to ensure the safety of shipping in the Red Sea. According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, about 20 countries are participating in the alliance, including Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, the United Kingdom, Greece, Australia and several others.

However, Spain, Italy and France have denied joining the alliance, while affirming their commitment to operating under the command of international organizations such as the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the EU.

Source