Foreign Minister: Bulgaria monitors situation with two bulgarian crew members of hijacked ship in Red sea

The government monitors “from the very first hour” the situation with the two Bulgarian crew members of a ship that was hijacked in the Red Sea on November 19, said Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel at a briefing at the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.

“We are in constant contact with our representatives in the region, with international partners and services,” Gabriel added.

Israeli media reported Sunday that the British ship with 25 crew members including Bulgarians had been hijacked in the Red Sea "on an Iranian whim by the Houthi militia in Yemen". The vessel leased out to a Japanese company also had crew from Ukraine, Mexico and the Philippines.

She also noted that a total of nine Bulgarians were extracted from the Gaza Strip this weekend. She thanked the Bulgarian representations in the region. “I would like to thank especially the foreign ministers of Israel and Egypt,” the Deputy Prime Minister stated.

Gabriel chaired a meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation earlier on Tuesday.