LONDON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain and France on Wednesday co-hosted a two-day multinational military planning conference in London to advance plans for restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with military planners from more than 30 countries attending, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defense.
The ministry said the meeting, held at Britain's Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north London, aims to turn previously reached diplomatic consensus into a joint military plan so as to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz when conditions allow and a ceasefire can be sustained.
"Today's multinational planning conference matters. The task, today and tomorrow, is to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire," British Defense Secretary John Healey said ahead of the meeting.
The ministry also noted that international trade, energy security and the stability of the global economy depend on freedom of navigation. Britain and France are working to involve as many partners as possible in the planning process, with discussions focusing on military capabilities, command and coordination, as well as regional deployments, according to the statement.
France and Britain convened 51 countries for an international summit on the Strait of Hormuz in Paris on April 17. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the meeting, while officials from across Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East joined by video conference. ■
