EU naval mission Aspides for Red Sea and Gulf to be reinforced, Kallas says

BRUSSELS, March 1 (Reuters) - The European Union's naval mission Aspides for the Red Sea, Gulf and Indian Ocean will be reinforced with additional ships, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday.

"Our naval mission, Aspides, has seen a sharp rise in protection requests, and we will reinforce it with additional ships to bolster maritime security in the region," Kallas said in a statement after a videoconference with European foreign ministers, adding that she also plans to convene a meeting with Gulf countries.