German Chancellor Angela Merkel revealed that the establishment of a European-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz will be discussed at an informal meeting of EU Foreign and Defense Ministers that is scheduled to be held later this month in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.
During a press conference held after meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, the German Chancellor underscored that talks “have not yet taken place” in all relevant forums necessary to ultimately realize some formation of a naval peacekeeping taskforce.
Merkel’s comments were made after she rejected a request from Washington to join a U.S.-led coalition.