A meeting of chiefs of general staff and military representatives was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the initiative of creating a multinational maritime defense coalition to protect international shipping.
Sea-news.az reports citing the Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense, that representatives from 43 countries and a delegation from the European Union participated in the meeting.
At the event, threats directed at commercial vessels, oil tankers, and marine infrastructure in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden were in the spotlight. Participants discussed the draft charter, organizational structure, and command and control system of the coalition to be established. According to the provisions, Saudi Arabia will be the leader of the coalition and host its headquarters.
At the conclusion of the meeting, 14 countries — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia — signed a joint statement supporting the initiative. A number of other states are also expected to join the document after completing their internal procedures.
