On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that EU foreign ministers "agreed in principle" to establish maritime security operations in the Red Sea.
"Portugal will support this mission … Of course, it won’t be a frigate or a ship, but there will be some kind of participation on our part," Cravinho was quoted as saying by Portuguese newspaper Renascenca.
On the same day, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said that Slovakia will also support the EU security mission in the Red Sea. He noted, however, that Bratislava does not have a fleet, but is interested in ensuring that international rights are not violated.
The Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces launched later major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.