The EU and Indonesia hold their first joint naval exercises against piracy

BRUSSELS, Aug. 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The European Union and Indonesia have carried out joint naval maneuvers in the Arabian Sea in operational scenarios against piracy, within the framework of the Atalanta operation in Somalia.

Exercises have included cross-helicopter landings, complex tactical evolutions at sea, boarding of suspect vessels and refueling at sea. On the Indonesian side, the maneuvers were carried out by the corvette Sultan Iskandar Muda and on the European side the Italian frigate Virginio Fasan, framed in the EU naval operation in Somalia.

“Through its active contribution to peacekeeping missions, Indonesia makes a tangible contribution to international peace and security in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” community diplomacy stressed in a statement, in the which underlines the commitment of the EU and Indonesia to the rules-based international order and effective multilateralism with the United Nations at the center.

These maneuvers are part of the EU’s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific area, a region in which it actively promotes freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as the removal of obstacles to trade and the peaceful resolution of disputes.