EU Says Held Anti-Piracy Naval Exercises With Japan In Gulf Of Aden

The European Union's diplomatic arm on Wednesday stated that the bloc's naval forces had held anti-piracy drills with Japan over the previous two days

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th October, 2020) The European Union's diplomatic arm on Wednesday stated that the bloc's naval forces had held anti-piracy drills with Japan over the previous two days.

"On 5-6 October, the European Union and Japan carried out a joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. The exercise involved a warship supporting maritime patrol aircraft of EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta and a vessel of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force patrolling the region against piracy," a statement from the EU's External Action Service read.

The drills confirmed both sides' commitments to maritime security and freedom of navigation and their determination to pursue future training and operational activities in the region, the statement went on to say.

The waters off the Horn of Africa have been a hotspot of pirate activity over the past decade owing to Somalia's continued turmoil and the resulting social deprivation. The region's proximity to the Red Sea, which leads the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, makes its maritime security an especially sensitive area in Asia-Europe global trade.