Yemeni Monitor/Newsroom
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Atty affirmed that the Houthi threats to navigation in the Red Sea have a direct impact on the Egyptian economy, due to the significant decline in the revenues of the Suez Canal.
This came during a meeting with Vassilis Gorbaris, commander of the EU Naval Force Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED) operation ASPIDE, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters today.
According to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Abdel-Atty expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with the ASPIDE operation command and Egypt’s support for its missions, given the defensive nature of its mandate, in light of the increasing challenges facing navigation in the Red Sea.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of concerted efforts to create a safe environment for the passage of ships in the Red Sea and to reassure international shipping companies.
During the meeting, Abdel-Atty reviewed Egypt’s concerns about the current escalation in the region in light of recent tensions, and its impact on maritime shipping in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
He stressed the need to address the root causes of the unprecedented escalation, which are the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, the policy of assassinations, and the violation of the sovereignty of countries in the region.
For his part, the commander of the EU naval force expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s support for the EU naval operation in confronting Houthi attacks and his keenness to communicate with countries in the region affected by the tension in the Red Sea, primarily Egypt.
The European official stressed the importance of concerted efforts to secure navigation in the Red Sea, and the EU operation’s keenness to create an environment that contributes to the safe passage of ships in the Red Sea.
The chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, had previously announced that the canal had lost 23.5% of its annual revenue in the fiscal year ending in June, with revenues declining to $7.2 billion, due to the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea.
Since the end of last year, Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and recently expanded their operations to the Indian Ocean. They said they were targeting ships linked to Israel, which is launching a brutal attack on Gaza Strip. However, the Yemeni government and experts say that the Houthis’ goals are domestic, aimed at escaping domestic crises and improving their image in the region.
In response, the US and Britain have been launching airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi militants since January 11. As a result, the Houthis announced the expansion of their operations to include US and British ships.
Since November, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) has recorded more than 190 attacks on US commercial or military ships off the coast of Yemen, including nearly 100 attacks since the start of US airstrikes on Yemeni territory.
