Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal jointly announced that they “politically support the creation of a European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH)”. “We welcome any contribution in kind as already declared by Denmark, France, Greece and the Netherlands to this effort and look forward to further commitments in the coming days”, the statement added, further maintaining that “the [UAE-based] EMASOH will constitute a useful instrument in safeguarding the freedom of navigation”. “EMASOH aims to foster de-escalation and to complement vital diplomatic efforts aiming at ensuring increased stability and an inclusive regional dialogue in a critical context”, the eight governments concluded.