“We decided, with the chief of staff, not to wait for Aspides to decide whether ships can pass or not,” Crosetto said, addressing the situation in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb.
He said Italy would probably act so that Italian ships can begin passing without waiting for European bureaucracy to be added to national procedures. Delaying in cases like this, he added, means delaying the economy and aggravating problems.
“When we can, we intervene to alleviate crises,” Crosetto said.
The remarks were made at the fourth edition of the Forum Risorsa Mare in La Spezia. They signal that Rome is prepared to act so Italian ships can begin passing without waiting for the Aspides process to decide, rather than allow European procedures to add further delay.