Tuesday, December 24, 2013
The European Union will assume the chairmanship of the Contact Group
on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) for a year from the 1st of
January 2014, it was announced Monday.An EU statement announcing
the development said the Contact Group will be chaired on behalf of the
European bloc by Maciej Popowski, Deputy Secretary General of the
European External Action Service (EEAS).
The chairmanship of the
Contact Group is a joint endeavor of the EEAS and the European
Commission and will continue the work carried out in 2013 under the
chairmanship of the United States.
Noting that the number of
hostages has gone down from more than 700 in 2011 to around 50 today,
the European Union reiterated its strong commitment to bringing "this
number down to zero: zero ships and zero seafarers in the hands of
Somali pirates."
"Pirate attacks over the past year have dropped
by 95%, but the fight against piracy is not yet won. It is vital that
the international community continues to work together to stamp out
piracy and consolidate the gains we have already made," EU foreign
policy chief Catherine Ashton was quoted as saying in the statement.
The
European bloc said it is looking forward to working with all
stakeholders in the region and with the international community to bring
the fight against Somali piracy to an end. The intent reflects the
strategic framework and broader objectives set out during the Conference
on a New Deal for Somalia in Brussels on 16 September 2013.