The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) was launched on 31 March 2020 with the primary mission to enforce the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

arms embargo to

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

due to the

Second Libyan Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Second Libyan Civil War , partof = the Arab Winter, Libyan Crisis, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, War on terror, and Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict , image ...

. Operation IRINI is a European Union military operation under the umbrella of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). The operation is expected to use aerial, maritime and satellite assets. In September 2020, the Irini operation stated that within six months, the operation sent 14 special reports to UN Panel of Experts concerning from both sides of the conflict in Libya, performed 12 visits on collaborative merchant vessels and monitored 10 ports and landing points, 25 airports and landing strips. In addition, it made 250 requests for satellite images to the EU Satellite Centre. Headquarters of the operation are in Rome, Italy. Italy and Greece alternate the Force Commander every six months (together with the rotation of the flagship).

Mission

The primary mission of the operation is to ensure the implementation of the UN arms embargo. Other missions include the training of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy, the disruption of human trafficking and halt the illicit exports of Libyan oil.

Duration

The initial mandate of Operation IRINI lasted until 31 March 2021. On 17 March 2021, the EU extended the operation for two more years, until the end of March 2023. The former

Operation Sophia Operation Sophia, formally European Union Naval Force Mediterranean (EU NAVFOR Med), was a military operation of the European Union that was established as a consequence of the April 2015 Libya migrant shipwrecks with the aim of neutralising estab ...

permanently ceased its activity at the same time of the launch of IRINI.

Assets

Naval assets (active)
: ''D'Estienne d'Orves''-class aviso '' Premier-Maître L'Her''
: ''Elli''-class frigate '' Aegean'' - flagship
: Comandanti-class patrol vessel '' ''Comandante Borsini'' Air assets (active)
:

Atlantique 2 Atlantique may refer to: * ''Atlantique'' (film), a 2019 film * Atlantique Department in Benin * SNCF's TGV Atlantique class of high-speed trains * The Breguet Atlantique airplane * Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire-based shipyard * The V ...

Falcon 50 The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French super-midsize, long-range business jet, featuring a trijet layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined Falcon ...

from Jul, 2020
:

P-3C Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. ''

Jean Bart Jean Bart (; ; 21 October 1650 – 27 April 1702) was a French Admiral, naval commander and privateer. Early life Jean Bart was born in Dunkirk, France, Dunkirk in 1650 to a seafaring family, the son of Jean-Cornil Bart (c. 1619-1668) who has b ...

'' from 4 May 2020, left 1 June 2020
: ''Georges Leygues''-class frigate '' Latouche-Tréville'' from 7 October 2020
: ''Sachsen''-class frigate ''

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

'' from 18 August 2020 to 14 December 2020.
:

Type 212 submarine The German Type 212 class (German: U-Boot-Klasse 212 A), also Italian ''Todaro'' class, is a diesel-electric submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) for the German and Italian navies. It features diesel propulsion and a ...

'' U-35'' from 12 June 2021 to 14 December 2021.
: ''Hydra''-class frigate '' Spetsai'' from 4 June 2020, left 17 August 2020
: ''Elli''-class frigate '' Adrias''
: ''Elli''-class frigate ''

Limnos Lemnos or Limnos ( el, Λήμνος; grc, Λῆμνος) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The p ...

'' from 17 September 2020
: ''San Giorgio''-class amphibious transport dock '' San Giorgio'' - from 17 July 2020 to 7 September 2020
: Bergamini-class frigate '' Carlo Margottini'' - from 7 September 2020
: Comandanti-class patrol vessel '' Comandante Cigala Fulgosi''
: ''Tridente''-class submarine NRP ''Tridente'' - from 24 June 2021 to 20 August 2021 Planned but never deployed:
: ''Hydra''-class frigate '' Hydra'' expected May 2020, but not deployed

Criticism

Government of National Accord

In April 2020, the

Government of National Accord The Government of National Accord ( ar, حكومة الوفاق الوطني) was an interim government for Libya that was formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, a United Nations–led initiative, signed on 17 December 2015. ...

(GNA) in Libya objected to the operation on the ground that it would affect the supply of arms from Turkey.

Malta

In May 2020,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

pulled out of Operation IRINI and threatened to veto EU funds for the Operation, in a move that could have impacted on the Turkish-Libyan agreement. Malta has complained to the European Commission that it does not give enough support to Malta on the issue of migration, the EU responded that “The Irini operation was conceived to stop the fighting in Libya and political stabilisation is a precondition to stop the migrant wave. So to stop the migration push, we need to politically stabilise Libya, and this depends on rini” while Turkey has said that it will provide concrete and effective assistance to Malta. In addition, Malta, Turkey and the GNA have issued a joint statement expressing reservations about the IRINI.

Russia

In early June 2020, Russia was the only Security Council member which raised concerns about renewing authorization for the Operation, which was due to expire on 10 June.

Turkey

In June and July 2020, Turkey criticized the operation as being "not objective" and claimed that the operation is supporting

Khalifa Haftar Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LN ...

. In June of the same year, European diplomats and officials stated that Turkey was blocking EU attempts to secure

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

’s help for the operation. In addition, in August 2020, Turkey criticized Germany for its participation in the operation, after Germany decided to send a frigate in August. In November 2020, the Turkey’s National Security Council said that Turkey will take necessary steps in every field against the Operation Irini, after a German frigate, participating in the operation, tried to search a Turkish-flagged freighter near Libya. In addition, the

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation ex officio for the incident. Furthermore, Turkey has denied the inspection of suspect Turkish vessels in many occasions (see the "Incidents" section below).

Incidents

In May 2020, a French war ship participating in the operation intercepted the

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

-flagged oil tanker ''Jal Laxmi'' off the coast of

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

and stopped it from docking in Tobruk. The vessel had not received authorization from the Tripoli-based Libyan National Oil Corporation. Following this event, Russia raised concerns regarding the operation's authorization. On 10 June 2020, the Greek frigate ''Spetsai'' under the command of IRINI operation attempted to inspect the

Tanzanian Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

-flagged cargo vessel ''Çirkin'' which was suspected of carrying arms to Libya, but was ordered to retreat after warnings from Turkish frigates accompanying the cargo vessel. According to sources, the Turkish commander's message was that 'the Turkish ship is under the protection of the Turkish Republic'. Later, on 17 June 2020, France also accused Turkish ships of harassing a French warship from the NATO

Operation Sea Guardian Operation Sea Guardian is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) maritime security operation taking place in the Mediterranean Sea. In July 2016, at the Warsaw Summit, NATO announced the transition of the Article 5 counter-terrorism Operat ...

as they tried to inspect the ''Çirkin'' and that the Turkish Navy was using their NATO call signs while accompanying Turkish vessels suspected of breaking the UN arms embargo on Libya. According to French officials, when the French ship tried to inspect the vessel, the Turkish vessel switched off its tracking system, masked its ID number and refused to say where she was going, while the Turkish frigates flashed their radar lights three times against the French warship, suggesting a missile strike was imminent. On the other hand, Turkish officials, denied that the warship was harassed and claimed that the French warship did not establish communications with the Turkish vessel during the incident and provided fuel for the Turkish vessel. At a request of France, NATO stated on June 18 that it will investigate the incident. NATO carried out 3-week investigation into the incident, producing a 130-page report published on 1 July. The report did not include a "statement supporting the French claims that Turkish warships harassed the French warship by locking its radar on it". The report of NATO's investigation was never released publicly. Diplomats told

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

that the investigation was too sensitive to discuss in public and does not apportion blame, adding that NATO wanted to keep Turkey onside and for this there was no willingness to point a finger. On 21 September 2020, the EU sanctioned the Turkish maritime company Avrasya Shipping which operates the ''Çirkin'' freighter, because the vessel was found to have violated the arms embargo in Libya in May and June 2020. On 22 November 2020, the German frigate ''Hamburg'', which participated in the operation, intercepted the Turkish 16,000-tonne freighter, ''Rosalina-A'' (or Rosaline-A), about 200 km (125 miles) north of the Libyan city of

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

. Soldiers from the frigate boarded the Turkish freighter in order to search it but had to abandon checks and withdraw after Turkey protested. According to the German spokesman, the ''Hamburg'' had followed standard procedure by waiting four hours for approval from the flag country, and then boarding. Later, once the objection arrived, they withdrew. The German defense ministry spokesman said that “By the time the soldiers left the ship, they had not found anything suspicious”. Turkey said that the search team had violated international law by not waiting for permission from Turkey, adding that the ship was carrying various materials such as food and paint. Furthermore, Turkey has summoned the envoys of the European Union, Germany and Italy to Ankara in order to protest against the operation. Turkey condemned the incident, saying that Operation Irini is a biased mission that targets Turkey and the internationally recognized

(GNA) in Libya. European Union in an official statement said that the operation IRINI gave 5 hours notice to Turkey (4 hours in line with the international maritime practice + 1 hour extension at the request of the Turkish Embassy in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where Operation IRINI’s Headquarters are located). After the time elapsed and no answer has received from Turkey, the soldiers boarded the ship and started the inspection in accordance with internationally agreed procedures including NATO procedures. Later, when Turkey formally and with delay notified of its refusal to grant the permission for inspection, the search operation terminated and the soldiers left the ship. Until then, nothing suspicious has found on the ship. In addition, the statement reminded that the IRINI operation is in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2292 (2016) and 2526 (2020) and that the UN Security Council Resolution 2292 (2016) calls upon all flag States to cooperate with inspections. These resolutions are binding for all UN Member States, including the Turkey. A secret EU report cited by the

Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (dpa) is a German news agency founded in 1949. Based in Hamburg, it has grown to be a major worldwide operation serving print media, radio, television, online, mobile phones, and national news agencies. News is avai ...

, indicated that the Turkish vessel had long been watched on suspicion of making illegal arms shipments. In addition, the

Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

reported that the operation Irini's military analysts, in a report for United Nations, had previously spotted arms being unloaded in the Libyan port of

Misrata Misrata ( ; also spelled Misurata or Misratah; ar, مصراتة, Miṣrāta ) is a city in the Misrata District in northwestern Libya, situated to the east of Tripoli and west of Benghazi on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. With ...

in satellite images. Furthermore, EU report's authors said that suspicious cargo was again sighted in November while the ship was docked in the Turkish port of Ambarli. Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation into the incident on 27 November 2020, which is not expected to lead to arrests or the extradition of officials involved in the search. In July 2021, Irini's forces intercepted a

Zambian Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

flag vessel called MV ''Gauja'' for being suspected of transporting illegal arms from

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

to Libya. The Zambian government said that it does not own the vessel and that it is Russian operated. In September 2021, an IRINI's report revealed that Turkey refused the inspection of Turkish ships heading to Libya 6 times. In May 2022, Turkey refused to accept the inspection of the Turkish flagged vessel ''MSKosovak'' which headed to the port of Misrata in Libya. In July 2022, Irini inspected the

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...

flagged vessel ''MV VICTORY RORO'' and found that it breached the UN arms embargo. The vessel was suspected, since it had been identified by UN Panel of Experts of transferring military equipment in Libya before under the name ''MV LUCCELLO'' and the flag of the

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

. In October 2022, Irini asked for the inspection of the Turkish flagged vessel ''MV Matilde A'', which was heading to Libya, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2292 on the arms embargo on Libya, but Turkey refused to accept it. Same month, Irini found and seized military vehicles in the merchant vessel MV MEERDIJK coming from the United Arab Emirates and heading to Libya. In the October 2022 Irini's report, it is mentioned that Turkey has denied the inspection of suspect Turkish vessels on nine occasions since the launch of the operation.

Presence on web and social media

Operation IRINI web siteOperation IRINI on TwitterOperation IRINI on FacebookOperation IRINI on LinkedIn

References

{{Common Security and Defence Policy/missions Irini Second Libyan Civil War Turkey–European Union relations