The European Union and the United States conducted the first ever joint naval drills from March 23-24 as part of their joint effort to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) The European Union and the United States conducted the first ever joint naval drills from March 23-24 as part of their joint effort to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said on Friday.
"On 23 and 24 March, the European Union and the United States of America conducted a joint naval exercise, as decided at the last round of the EU-U.S. High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific on 2 December 2022. The joint naval exercise took place in the framework of the EU and U.S. patrolling and exercising high seas freedom of navigation," the statement read.
The drills involved US ship Paul Hamilton, EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta's Spanish ship Reina Sofia and Italian ship Carlo Bergamini, according to EEAS.
The joint training was conducted in line with key strategic documents and initiatives of both the EU and the US regarding the Indo-Pacific region, the service added.
"The exercise forms part of the shared commitment of the EU and United States to work towards practical maritime cooperation and support a free and open Indo-Pacific, in line with documents such as the EU Strategic Compass, the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy," EEAS stated.
With these drills, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further cooperation on regional maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, according to the statement.
