Kuwait vital partner in safeguarding sea lanes: EU naval commander

KUWAIT: Commander of the European Union Naval Force (Aspidis), Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis, has described Kuwait as a vital trade partner, underscoring the importance of strengthening cooperation to safeguard international sea lanes, protect global trade and address related challenges. In an interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Tuesday during his official visit to the country at the invitation of the Ministry of Defense, Gryparis said his meetings with Assistant Commander of the Naval Force Brig Gen Nasser Al-Mutairi focused on ways to deepen partnership with Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, given their shared commercial and security interests.

He stressed the need to expand information exchange and participation in joint efforts to secure sea lanes, noting that such cooperation would enhance Aspidis’ ability to protect maritime trade — a vital lifeline for both regional countries and Europe. Launched in February 2024, Aspidis operates in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and northwest Indian Ocean to secure international shipping lanes. Despite deploying only two naval vessels to cover a vast area, Gryparis said the force has successfully protected more than 1,200 ships.

He recalled the force’s intervention in preventing a potential environmental disaster involving an oil tanker carrying three times the capacity of the Exxon Valdez — whose 1989 spill off Alaska was one of the world’s worst ecological crises. The Red Sea operation, he noted, safeguarded desalination plants, fisheries and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Gryparis warned that growing threats to maritime navigation risk undermining the rule of law, destabilizing global trade and weakening international order. He stressed that the success of Aspidis depends on bolstering cooperation with Kuwait and other GCC states. Since its launch, he added, the force has maintained regular engagement with GCC countries, recognizing their crucial role in ensuring freedom of navigation and protecting the global trade routes on which the world economy depends. — KUNA