11/05/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 10 May, the European Union held an unprecedented trilateral naval exercise in the Gulf of Aden with Japan and Djibouti. Based on the scenario of an anti-piracy operation, the exercise involved the Operation Atalanta flagship, the frigate Carabiniere, and the operation’s maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer Setogiri, and Djibouti’s Navy and Coast Guard patrol boats. “The exercise lasted approximately 20 hours and also included cross-deck helicopter landings, tactical evolutions at sea and a night-time joint patrol”, the European External Action Service said in a statement. The EU, Japan and Djibouti remain committed to maintaining the rules-based international order, including through practical maritime cooperation that guarantees freedom of navigation and overflight, it added. (CG)