Turkey links Gaza truce to Red Sea navigation in United Nations Security Council discussion
The Gaza conflict is significantly destabilizing maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as Turkey warns that the escalation threatens freedom of navigation and regional stability in these critical waterways.
Turkey's deputy UN envoy Aslı Güven specifically pointed out that Israeli aggression in Gaza increases regional tensions that jeopardize safe navigation. This instability compounds existing threats like piracy, terrorism, and armed robbery that already endanger international shipping, food and energy security, and the welfare of seafarers.
The situation is worsened by intensified attacks from Houthi militants in Yemen, who, aligned with Hamas, have escalated missile and drone strikes targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These attacks have already provoked multinational naval operations (U.S., U.K., India, China) to patrol vulnerable maritime routes, highlighting the conflict’s broader security impact.
From Turkey’s strategic perspective, its economy and trade routes have suffered—shipping costs rose as container ships reroute to avoid the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the southern Red Sea due to Houthi attacks, forcing maritime traffic around longer routes through the Cape of Good Hope and the Strait of Gibraltar.
Turkey, while maintaining a stance of "active neutrality," is increasing its presence and partnerships in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea to protect its maritime interests but seeks to avoid entanglement in direct military confrontations.
In summary, Turkey warns that the Gaza conflict exacerbates threats to maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by fueling regional instability, intensifying militant attacks on shipping, raising shipping costs, and risking blockade of vital global shipping lanes. This underlines the urgent need for a Gaza truce to restore safe navigation and prevent further destabilization of one of the world’s most strategic maritime corridors.
The Turkish diplomat emphasized that Turkey places a high priority on maritime security, freedom of navigation, and open sea lines of communication. Turkey hosts one of the world's largest refugee populations and is conducting robust maritime surveillance and search and rescue operations. However, it is not clear if any specific Israeli attack on Gaza journalists was mentioned by Turkish officials, or if Turkey is currently involved in mediation efforts for the Gaza crisis.
Turkish officials are closely following developments in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where tensions confirm their warnings that Israeli aggression in Gaza would spill over, threatening navigation. Turkey, as a country strategically positioned along Eastern Mediterranean routes, is keenly aware of the importance of maintaining maritime security and stability in these critical regions.
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