Red Sea, Tajani’s recipe: “We need a European naval mission”

«The objective is to take a political decision as early as Monday at the Brussels Foreign Affairs Council» on a «new European naval mission that will incorporate the Emasoh Agenor, already operational in the Strait of Hormuz», so that «as soon as possible it will be extended to the Gulf of Aden and reach the Red Sea.” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, declared this at a Senate hearing, saying he was convinced that “a European response to the crisis in the Red Sea is necessary “. Stressing that it is necessary to “strengthen the European military presence in the area to protect freedom of navigation and traffic”, Tajani explained that the plan drawn up by Italy together with France and Germany foresees that “it is not a mission of attack, but in defense of maritime traffic”, he added, explaining that “European military ships would intervene to protect the merchant ships they escort”. Underlining “the need for the European Union to make progress in defense”, Tajani said that the European naval mission aims to create “a deterrent mechanism to defend maritime traffic in the entire area, up to Suez”.

Then, the deputy prime minister highlighted the importance of creating an integrated defense system at continental level. “The Union must make progress in the field of European defense” and the current context, with the crisis in the Middle East and the Red Sea in particular, demonstrates this. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, declared this at a hearing in the Senate, stressing that “the ultimate objective must be the creation of a European army”. An army that, Tajani explained, must be capable of “carrying out peacekeeping missions and intervening very quickly”. In this context, the head of Farnesina stated that “you cannot have a European foreign policy if there is no European defense. We want a Europe that has an equal relationship with the United States and NATO. And we want a decisive reinforcement of cooperation between the European Union and the NTP, which is increasingly essential in the current international context.”