Madam President,

Fellow Members of this House,

The Houthis and Iran are taking the freedom of navigation hostage.

Around 12 percent of global maritime trade normally passes through the Bab al-Mandab strait alone. This includes oil, gas, fertilisers and container ships, which transport everyday goods and humanitarian supplies. Since the end of July, the Houthis have carried out a series of attacks against civilian vessels. By taking control of the entire Red Sea coast of Yemen, in particular the port city of Mocha and the island of Perim, they can now attack ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab strait with even greater ease.

As you all know, the situation on the ground is evolving as we speak. But it’s clear that if the Houthis were to close the Bab al-Mandab strait, this, combined with Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, would put two chokepoints of international trade at risk at the same time. It’s therefore immaterial that the Houthis claim that their primary aim is to blockade Saudi maritime traffic. Attacks on civilian merchant ships contravene international law and endanger global trade routes that are of great importance to Europe and Germany; they also heighten the risk for everyone.

This demonstrates how important the European Union’s military presence in this maritime area is. EUNAVFOR ASPIDES compiles its own situation picture for the region and escorts merchant ships, defending them against attacks. In a region in which many competing interests are at play, having our own independent European assessment of the situation is of immense value in itself. We benefit from this directly.

Furthermore, the mission provides concrete assistance. Since the start of the operation in 2024, ASPIDES has escorted more than 700 ships. Over 1600 further ships have received advice on security-related matters. We have also seen that, since the beginning of September, the number of requests for protection of ships in transit has risen substantially.

The mission, ladies and gentlemen, is worth it. Germany is shouldering part of Europe’s responsibility by contributing high-end capabilities such as long-range maritime reconnaissance – deployed on a rotational and temporary basis – and staff officers. The mandate ceiling of 350 service personnel gives us the necessary flexibility to make a greater contribution, depending on the situation, should the need arise.

ASPIDES has a defensive mandate. Nevertheless – and I would like to emphasise this here – it enables Europe to act and protect our economic interests. And it sends an important signal to our partners in the region who are calling for our presence and solidarity.

We know that only a comprehensive conflict resolution can bring about lasting peace. However, a military presence in the region is required in order to protect our interests in the short and medium term. EUNAVFOR ASPIDES is making a decisive contribution to this. I therefore request your support for this mission.

At the same time, I would like to emphasise once again that we must take a broader view. The conflict with the Houthis in Yemen, which has been ongoing for years and has now flared up once again, is leading to suffering first and foremost for the people of Yemen. Moreover, it harbours enormous potential for regional destabilisation. We can see this for ourselves, with refugees fleeing from Yemen to Djibouti, and Houthi attacks on Saudi cities, airports and energy infrastructure, to name but a few examples.

We must therefore work closely with our European and regional partners to give serious thought to what else we can do to stabilise the situation and help our partners on the ground. What political, humanitarian and stabilising – perhaps even military – measures can we deploy above and beyond this? We cannot afford to be short-sighted in this regard.

I have also discussed this with my Yemeni counterpart in New York recently, as well as with my colleagues from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and many other countries. I intend to continue these discussions and these efforts with great vigour. Our partners are relying on Germany. We do not want nor will we let them down.

After all, freedom of navigation through the Red Sea and regional stability are also in Germany’s and Europe’s interests. It is for this reason that I ask that we now engage in a positive debate in this House.

Thank you very much.