Belgium will only support mission in Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire and international mandate
Belgium is prepared to participate in securing the Strait of Hormuz as soon as a lasting ceasefire is in place and provided that the mission operates within a clear international framework. This was agreed by the federal government’s core cabinet on Friday.
On Friday, the government’s core cabinet discussed the request made to Belgium to “contribute to appropriate measures to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”. Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom announced in a joint press release on Thursday that they are prepared to contribute. The strait is crucial for international shipping, but traffic there has virtually ground to a halt because Iran is threatening to attack ships that still venture there.
The conclusion of the core cabinet is that Belgium is prepared to participate “as soon as there is a sustainable ceasefire and a mission within a clear international framework, by analogy with Belgium’s participation in Operations Aspides (European military operation securing the Red Sea against Houthi rebels, ed.) and Atalanta”. The government will take a decision at that time, taking all factors into account, it added.
The core cabinet also considered requests for military support from Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. The government decided to investigate these requests for assistance further, but this will not be done through the ministry of Defence, but via the diplomatic network of the ministry of Foreign Affairs. The diplomats must determine what the specific requests are and whether Belgium can also offer support that goes “beyond the purely military”. This can be done with the diplomats who are already on the ground in the region.
Illustration © PHOTO Tolga Ildun/ZUMA Press Wire
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