EU calls on Houthi militia to stop attacks on ships in the Red Sea
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas called on the Houthi militia to halt attacks on ships in the Red Sea, stressing the need to respect international law and UN Security Council resolutions to ensure freedom of navigation.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Brussels, July 23 (KUNA) -- The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, called on the Houthi militia on Thursday to halt attacks on ships in the Red Sea, following the militia’s targeting of a Saudi vessel. In a statement, Kallas said that the Houthi militia’s recent threats to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia constitute a direct threat to regional stability and a serious escalation. She emphasized that the attack on an oil tanker in the Red Sea is “unacceptable and illegal” and would further inflame the already tense situation in the region, stressing the need to ensure unhindered freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as well as in the Red Sea. Kallas urged the Houthis to cease all actions endangering international navigation and the lives of seafarers, and to comply with international law as embodied in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as with UN Security Council resolutions 2216 on Yemen, and 2722 and 2826 on freedom of navigation. She affirmed that the European Union’s maritime operation, Aspides, remains firmly committed to protecting freedom of navigation for all in the Red Sea and surrounding international waters, in line with its defensive mandate and operational plan. (End) A.R.N. / M.N.F.
