The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, is asking EU countries to strengthen the Operation Aspides mission in the Red Sea, amid increasing threats from Houthis to navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which is crucial for trade routes between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The proposal, contained in a letter dated 19 September and sent to EU capitals, follows a request by Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who raised the alarm after an Italian frigate intervened to escort an Italian merchant vessel off the coast of Yemen.
“We need more suitably equipped naval and air assets”, including greater capacity to provide “close protection”, Kallas wrote, stressing that the EU must increase its presence to ensure that “the operation can fully carry out its mandate.”