WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Tuesday his government would send a small defense team to the Middle East to protect Red Sea shipping, media reported.
Prime Minister Luxon said the country will deploy a six-member New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) team to maintain maritime security in the Red Sea to ensure global trade, Xinhua news agency reported.
“This deployment, as part of an international coalition, is a continuation of New Zealand’s long history of protecting freedom of navigation in the Middle East and closer to home,” Luxon said.
About 15 percent of global trade goes through the Red Sea, he said, and the Houthi attacks are increasing costs for exporters and delaying shipments.
Houthi attacks against commercial and naval shipping are illegal, unacceptable and highly destabilizing, he said, adding that the deployed team will contribute to the collective self-defense of ships in the Middle East.
The Prime Minister said no NZDF personnel or ships would enter Yemen, part of New Zealand’s continued defense contribution to maritime security in the Middle East since 2013.
Since January 12, acting unilaterally or in conjunction with its allies and partners, the US military has launched eight rounds of strikes against Houthi positions.
Commenting on these attacks, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said, “These efforts support the international security and free flow of trade that New Zealanders rely on,” adding that New Zealand cares deeply about regional security because of its economic and Strategic interests depend on it.
New Zealand’s Defense Minister Judith Collins said the Houthi attacks showed disregard for international law, peace and stability and the coalition’s response was an inevitable consequence of their actions.
However, the opposition Green Party said New Zealand’s deployment in the Red Sea was “further increasing tensions in the Middle East”. The deployment is to end before July 31.
