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Verbatim: Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on the situation in the Gulf of Oman

13.06.2019 - Press release

During a press conference with the Acting Albanian Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj today (13 June), Foreign Minister Heiko Maas commented:

The news we are receiving about the attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman is extremely worrying. It will now therefore be necessary first of all to collect reliable facts to be able to identify what happened. The incidents are the opposite of what we need in the current tense situation in the region. This is not just something that became clear to me during my trip to the region, but in fact we made very clear to all parties that an escalation of the situation is dangerous. These are incidents that could lead to escalation and we need the opposite. We need de‑escalation. All sides must play a part. At the end of the day, it remains clear: acts of sabotage or attacks on commercial ships pose a threat to our open trade routes and the central right to freedom of the high seas. In the current situation they are also a threat to peace and that is why we will now look at the facts, examine what happened and what reaction to give.



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