On Wednesday, 22 May, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called for strengthened maritime security cooperation with Djibouti.
Djibouti has welcomed EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, launched in December 2018 to combat maritime piracy and restore freedom of navigation.
“Together, I think we need to think about how we can better help secure the coasts here and fight the criminal networks that endanger so many lives as well as maritime safety”, Mogherini emphasised during a visit to the operation’s ship, Carlo Margottini.
According to Ms Mogherini, it is important to consolidate Atalanta’s work. “We will continue to remind ourselves that lowering our guard in the name of exceptional results in deterring piracy would be a mistake”, she explained, reiterating that the operation had foiled an attack in mid-April (see EUROPE 12241/3). “Threat reduction is, first and foremost, the result of close collaboration between the navies present in the area, be they deployed as part of an international coalition or independently”, the High Representative reiterated.
Mrs Mogherini pointed out that the EU’s commitment to maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean goes beyond military means. “This ranges from support for maritime police units to stabilisation and development efforts in areas freed from the terrorist threat. Our goal must also be to offer alternatives to crime”, she explained. In her opinion, dialogue, information sharing, and pooling resources are prerequisites in the fight against maritime insecurity.
The High Representative also reiterated that the spectrum of maritime security and safety was very broad: terrorism at sea, trafficking and smuggling, preservation of the marine environment, and the fight against illegal fishing. “Meeting these challenges is an opportunity, and we must seize it together”, she insisted.
In addition, Ms Mogherini warned that rivalry between players and their fighting over control of strategic points along the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden did not serve the interests of the region or the continent. “No player can claim or purport to control the maritime route more legitimately than another. This space must be a space that is shared and protected together”, she urged, reiterating that the EU welcomed ongoing initiatives aiming to strengthen relationships among coastal States. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)