23 Sep 2008
Russia to join fight against Somalian pirates
The head of the Russia’s naval forces Vladimir Vysotski told Kommersant today that Russia would joining with the European Union in its “joint fight against sea piracy” along the Somalian coast.
Last week the European Union announced they would be conducting naval operations to protect EU vessels and fight pirates responsible for dozens of incidents involving the looting and kidnapping of the Union’s citizens in the Gulf of Aden.
While the Russian pledge to work with the European Union on this global issue is a good sign of partnership in a time of tense relations, the Russo-European cooperation will be very limited. Vysotski said that, while Russia would be coordinating some efforts the the EU, Russia would not take part in any “international operations” directly against the pirates.
In the end, Russia’s involvement in this issue is not so much about cooperation with the Europeans as it is about Russia protecting it’s own citizens at sea, who have also fallen prey to Somalian pirates. Nonetheless, the fact that the Russian military and the media have framed it as an area of mutual interest and cooperation is encouraging.