EU NAVFOR Somalia Political Advisor and Interagency Shipping Special Advisor attended a virtual meeting with representatives of the Singaporean Ministry of Defense and the Information Fusion Center of Singapore. The meeting was held in the framework of the project “Enhancing the European Union’s security cooperation in and with Asia” (ESIWA) and hosted by the EU Delegation to Singapore. Also present were representatives of the Critical Maritime Routes Indo-Pacific Project (CRIMARIO II).
EU NAVFOR Atalanta presented an overview of the Operation´s activities, its new mandate and its specificities, pointing out the unique synergy of having its Maritime Security Center for the Horn of Africa (MSC-HoA) in Brest, fully integrated in the Operation HQ in Rota. In addition, EU NAVFOR included proposed areas of cooperation with its Singaporean counterparts.
In line with the joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council on the EU strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, released in April 2021, the ESIWA project aims at complementing the existing dialogues with tailor-made, concrete and operational cooperation with partners in Asia. Operation Atalanta remains committed to support the ESIWA project, especially its Maritime Security pillar, by promoting multilateralism, contributing to stability in the maritime domain and upholding the international rules-based system.
Singapore and the EU share common interests in maritime security issues in the Indo-Pacific region and the expertise of the Information Fusion Center (IFC) of Singapore is widely recognized. Singapore’s commitment in countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden within the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151) makes it a natural partner for Operation ATALANTA.
EU NAVFOR remains committed to support EU delegations and projects, to enhance cooperation and coordination on maritime security issues to create synergies and mutual benefits in the Indo-Pacific.
