On Monday 9 March, the Presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, “condemned the indiscriminate attacks by Iran in the strongest terms”, which they described as “unacceptable” in a videoconference with the leaders of Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye, Armenia, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
The Presidents reaffirmed their commitment to regional stability and called for “the protection of civilians and full respect for international law, international humanitarian law and the obligation to abide by the principles of the United Nations Charter”.
The EU is “ready to contribute in every possible way to help deescalate the situation and facilitate the return to the negotiating table”, stressed the two Presidents in a joint declaration. They went on to point out that “although the rules-based international order is under stress (...), dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable way forward”. “The European Union will work with the countries of the region to bring peace and stability back to the Middle East and the Gulf region”, the two Presidents promised.
European and Middle Eastern leaders discussed the impact of attacks on energy infrastructure and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on global energy security. They explored ways of strengthening cooperation to mitigate these risks. Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Costa also declared their readiness to adapt and strengthen the EU’s ASPIDES and ATALANTA maritime operations in order to better respond to the situation.
On the same day, from Cyprus, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, confirmed that France and its allies were developing a “purely defensive, purely accompanying mission, to be prepared with European and non-European States and which is intended to allow, as soon as possible, after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict, the escorting of container ships and tankers, to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz” (see EUROPE 13821/18).
Call for an end to the fighting in Lebanon. The Presidents of the European Council and the Commission also expressed their deep concern at the impact of the regional crisis on Lebanon and its serious consequences for civilians. They stressed the need to protect civilians and to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a separate statement, High Representative of the Union, Kaja Kallas warned against opening a new front in the war against Iran in Lebanon.
“Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel in support of Iran endangers the entire region and adds a murderous dimension to it”, she denounced, calling on the terrorist group to disarm and cease all action against Israel.
“At the same time, the Israeli response has been brutal”, stressed Mrs Kallas, who called on Israel to cease its operations in Lebanon and called for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected.
“Diplomacy and a return to the ceasefire offer the best chance of preventing Lebanon from descending into chaos”, she stressed, adding that preventing further loss of life, population displacement and regional escalation were “immediate priorities”. She stressed: “This requires all parties to respect international law, in particular international humanitarian law, and to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure”.
Military partnership between Ukraine and Middle Eastern countries. Furthermore, in a speech to EU ambassadors, the High Representative of the Union announced that “in view of the need for drone interceptors”, the EU was preparing a new initiative “aimed at facilitating the match between Ukrainian industrial production and the military needs of Middle Eastern countries”, without giving further details.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 11 countries - Iran’s neighbours, European States and the United States - had asked Ukraine for help in combating Iranian drone attacks in the Middle East. He added that Kyiv had already responded to some of these requests “with concrete decisions and specific support”.
See the statement by the two Presidents: https://aeur.eu/f/l3h (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)