Athens, March 16 (IANS) Greece has no plans to participate in any military operation in the Strait of Hormuz, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Monday, stressing that the country has no intention of becoming involved in war.

Speaking at a regular briefing, Marinakis said Greece’s current involvement in the European Union’s Operation Shield is “geographically defined in the Red Sea and does not concern the Strait of Hormuz.”

He noted that only vessels from Greece and Italy are currently participating in the operation, whose mission is to safeguard commercial shipping in the region.

Marinakis said Greece consistently advocates the universal application of international law, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Under no circumstances do we intend to get involved in war,” he said.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had “demanded” some countries heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil join a coalition to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, but did not name the countries the White House was negotiating with.

On Monday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also rejected a US demand for military support in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Germany would not become militarily involved in the region.

Pistorius made the remarks in Berlin at a press conference after meeting with his Latvian counterpart Andris Spruds.

While expressing readiness to support diplomatic efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait, Pistorius stressed that Germany would not take part in any military involvement, voicing skepticism over the need for European intervention.

“It is not our war. We did not start it,” Pistorius said.

US President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that NATO would face a “very bad” future if its allies fail to take action to help Washington keep the Strait of Hormuz open, the Financial Times reported.

Earlier on Monday, Australia said that it is well-prepared for the “economic crisis” caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and would not be sending a warship to the region.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio, Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King, also a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Cabinet, said that Australia’s fuel stockpile was sitting at 37 days of petrol, 30 days of diesel and 29 days of jet fuel as of Monday after the government reduced minimum stockholding obligations and temporarily amended fuel quality standards to allow higher sulfur levels.

“We’re well-prepared here in this country to weather the economic crisis that is occurring as a result of the Middle East,” she said.

The federal government on Saturday issued a warning to citizens not to transit through Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had previously issued travel warnings for all of those countries through its Smartraveller service, but said on Saturday that Australian citizens should also avoid transiting through them, even if they do not plan to leave the airport.

It said that the conflict is likely to escalate further and flights could change or stop suddenly.

–IANS

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