Commission Representative | Turkey delayed to object the inspection of the cargo ship for more than five hours

Defence Redefined

Published on 24/11/2020 at 17:37

The fact that Turkey delayed for more than five hours to object to the inspection of the cargo ship by operation IRINI was stated by the Representative of the European Commission and EEAS, Peter Stano, in writing.

In particular, Commission Representative Peter Stano stated that “on November 22, Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI inspected a Turkish-flagged cargo vessel in the Mediterranean.”

“Given the way this ship is being navigated, operation IRINI had reasonable grounds to suspect that it could act in violation of the UN arms embargo,” he said.

Prior to this action, as provided for in UN Security Council Resolution 2292 (2016), operation IRINI had, in good faith, sought the consent of the flag State, giving the Turkish Foreign Ministry a 4 hour notice in accordance with international maritime practice,” he points out. 

“Operation IRINI has even agreed to extend this notice for an additional hour at the request of the Turkish Embassy in Rome, where operation IRINI’s headquarters are located,” he said. 

“Having received no response from Turkey over time, operation IRINI boarded the ship and inspected it in accordance with internationally agreed procedures, including NATO procedures. Operation IRINI’s boarding team acted with the highest degree of professionalism and no incident was registered throughout the operation,” the spokesman said.

“The inspection was suspended later, when Turkey officially and belatedly notified operation IRINI of its refusal to grant the permission to inspect the ship,” he said. 

“Until then, the inspection found no evidence of illegal material on board and the ship was cleared to continue its journey,” he clarified.

As Peter Stano notes, “Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI is mandated by the European Union to contribute to the implementation of the arms embargo on Libya in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 2292 (2016) and 2526 (2020)”.

“These resolutions are binding on all UN member states, including the Republic of Turkey. In addition, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2292 (2016) calls on all flag states to cooperate with inspections,” he said.

“Operation IRINI has a concrete contribution to international efforts to end the conflict in Libya. It has demonstrated its ability to monitor arms embargoes on both sides of the conflict in Libya and reports to the UN Sanctions Committee accordingly,” he said.

“We are currently at a crucial juncture for the future of Libya and the implementation of the Berlin Process. Operation IRINI’s mandate is more important today than ever to ensure the viability of the October 23 ceasefire agreement and the return of peace and stability in Libya,” he concludes.

Also read: Germany sends frigate to Mediterranean to control arms embargo on Libya

German Defence Minister: “Turkey’s protest is unjustified”

Turkey’s protest over German soldiers’ inspection of the cargo ship in the framework of EU operation IRINI is unjustified, German Defence Minister Annegret Krab-Karenbauer said today.

“The soldiers acted correctly in accordance with the mandate of the EU Operation IRINI. The accusations against the soldiers are unjustified,” said the German Defence Minister.

Turkey protested yesterday after the inspection of a Turkish cargo ship on suspicion that it was illegally transporting weapons to Libya by German forces of the EU operation IRINI, which monitors the observance of the arms embargo on Libya.

Also read: Ankara blocks German frigate from inspecting suspicious Turkish ship

With information from: CNA / APE MPE