In a joint statement issued at the end of a virtual joint meeting, the foreign ministers of the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries reaffirmed their “unwavering commitment to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis” and stressed the need to restore regional stability and security.
“It is clear that wars really end in diplomacy, and there has to be room for diplomacy here to really get out of this cycle of escalation”, said the High Representative of the Union, Kaja Kallas ahead of the meeting.
The ministers reiterated their commitment to regional stability and called for the protection of civilians and full respect for international law, international humanitarian law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
They also strongly condemned the unjustifiable Iranian attacks against the GCC countries, which are causing “significant damage” and threatening regional and global security, and called on Iran to “cease immediately its attacks”.
“Iran is exporting the war, trying to expand it to as many countries as they can to sow chaos”, denounced Ms Kallas.
The ministers recalled the inherent right of the GCC countries, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, to defend themselves, individually and collectively, against Iran’s armed attacks and to protect their territories, citizens and residents in order to restore international peace and security.
The heads of European and Gulf diplomacy reaffirmed the importance of preserving regional airspace, maritime routes and freedom of navigation, particularly in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, as well as the safety and security of supply chains and the stability of global energy markets. They recognised the importance of the EU operations, ASPIDES and ATALANTA, and encouraged coordination in support of these operations.
“Maritime security - we are extremely worried about this. That is why European naval assets have been sent to the region, because the security of the Strait of Hormuz and the trade routes are extremely important for the European Union, but also for the Gulf countries”, stressed Ms Kallas.
According to the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, “25% of world trade passes through the Mediterranean”.
The ministers also committed to make joint diplomatic efforts to achieve a lasting solution to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and pursuing its ballistic programme, to refrain from any destabilising activities in the region and in Europe, and ultimately to allow the Iranian people to decide their own future.
“Every time when we have seen these wars before in the Middle East, we have also seen that it does not go that easy. (...) The countries in the region are also worried about civil war inside Iran because of the regime’s leadership and what is going on there”, explained Ms Kallas. And she added that: “Of course we cannot tell, nobody can tell how it’s really going, but the risks are clearly there”.
To see the joint statement: https://aeur.eu/f/l1d
Increased military support for Cyprus. After France and Greece, Spain has announced that it is sending the frigate Cristobal Colón to Cyprus. The frigate has joined the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and is due to arrive off the coast of Crete around 10 March, according to the Spanish Ministry of Defence. “Its mission in the Mediterranean will be to provide air protection and defence, complementing the capabilities of the ‘Patriot’ battery deployed in Türkiye. It will also be on standby to support any evacuation of civilian personnel likely to be affected by the conflict”, he added.
The French Presidency’s entourage also announced that the French President, Emmanuel Macron, had reached agreement with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, on the one hand, and with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on the other, “to coordinate the dispatch of military resources to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean and to work together to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Red Sea”.
According to the Italian Defence Minister ,Guido Crosetto, Italy and the Netherlands will also be sending naval resources to protect Cyprus in the next few days. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)