The EU urges “maximum restraint” in the Middle East
EU Foreign Ministers have insisted on the need for all parties to exercise “maximum restraint” in the new open conflict in the Middle East to avoid an escalation with “unpredictable consequences” in the region and beyond. At the same time, they have reiterated the importance of “full respect for international law”, although the only criticism expressed in a joint statement is directed at Iran’s responses after the attacks by the United States and Israel.
“We call for maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and full respect for international law, including the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international humanitarian law,” says the joint statement, underlining that the new conflict “must not lead to an escalation that could threaten the Middle East, Europe and other regions, with unpredictable consequences, including in the economic sphere.”
The High Representative for Foreign Policy of the EU, Kaja Kallas, has called this Sunday a virtual meeting with the foreign officials of the Twenty-seven to analyze the situation and coordinate the European response, both to guarantee the security of European citizens in the affected areas and to prevent the conflict from spreading.
“The war that is developing can reshape the balance of power in the Middle East. It can open the way to a different Iran that does not pose a threat to the region or Europe. However, the reality is that it is still too early to know with certainty in which direction Iran is heading,” Kallas assessed after the meeting, which lasted more than two and a half hours.
According to the Estonian, for whom the Iranian retaliation attacks are “inexcusable,” European ministers have made it “clear that the regime’s indiscriminate attacks against Europe’s partners represent an unprecedented escalation and must end.” “Iran’s allies must stay out of the conflict. Threats against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are reckless and must stop. The entire Middle East has a lot to lose from a prolonged war,” the head of European diplomacy insisted.
