Parliament mandates dispatch of Lithuanian troops to EU counter-piracy operation in Somalia

The resolution that was supported by 86 parliamentarians, with one voting against and four abstentions mandates participation of up to three military and civilian officers in the operation.

Under the document, up to 290 military and civilian participants can be dispatched to the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation in Afghanistan.

The maximum participation numbers were set for the period until the end of 2013.

The EU operation ATALANTA was launched in 2008 in response to the piracy attacks against private and commercial vessels off the coasts of Somalia. The operation is vital in the economic, security and economic aspect, as the EU imports about 50 percent of its crude needs from the Persian Gulf via the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal.