FRANKFURT – Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul voiced concerns Sunday about proposals to extend the European Union’s naval protection mission beyond its current scope.
The minister criticized the existing Aspides operation, which aims to safeguard commercial vessels traveling through Red Sea shipping lanes, calling it “not effective.”
Speaking during a television interview on Germany’s ARD network, Wadephul expressed his reservations about broadening the mission’s reach to include the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
“And that is why I am very sceptical that extending Aspides to the Strait of Hormuz would provide greater security,” the minister stated during the broadcast.
