Estonia to contribute to EU's Red Sea region military operation for 1 year
Estonia will participate in the European Union's military operation EUNAVFOR Aspides in the Red Sea region for at least one year, the government agreed on Thursday.
In recent months, attacks by Houthi rebels on cargo and warships in the Red Sea have worsened the security situation in the entire region.
The EU launched the military operation in February to restore freedom of navigation on the Red Sea. It aims to ensure the safety of vessels in the region by protecting ships from attacks and escorting vessels within the entire operational area.
The operation is defensive, with no military strikes conducted against land targets within the operation, the Ministry of Defense said.
"Despite the war in Europe, we must be ready to contribute to other hot spots in the world together with our Allies, because it also affects our security here in Europe. Moreover, the attacks in the Red Sea region have an impact on world economy and trade," Minister of Defense of Estonia Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said.
The operation is coordinated with the Prosperity Guardian coalition of the willing, led by the United States. Greece is the lead country of the European Union operation. France, Germany and Italy contribute vessels.
Finland, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Czechia, Romania, Portugal, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Austria, Malta and Cyprus have agreed to participate.
An Estonian naval service member will be stationed on board of the Italian Navy vessel as soon as possible, in line with the existing mandate of the Riigikogu.
The operational area includes Bab el Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz, the Red and Arabian seas and the international maritime routes of Aden, Oman and the Persian Gulf, where the Houthi rebels have carried out numerous attacks, especially against merchant ships, since October 2023.
Such attacks endanger the lives of seafarers, limit the freedom of navigation and the right to pass through straits for the purpose of transit, as stipulated in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the ministry said.
The Houthi attacks have a detrimental effect on commercial shipping and the economies of the countries of the European Union and the Red Sea region.
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Editor: Helen Wright
