Russia will work with the U.S. and European Union to fight piracy off the African coast and wants naval forces gathering in the area to coordinate their efforts, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday, according to AP. Lavrov spoke as a Russian warship with commandoes aboard headed to the waters off Somalia, where pirates are holding a Ukrainian ship with a cargo of battle tanks and a crew that includes two Russians. «Russia aims to prevent pirates from causing mayhem,» Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying. He said nations with naval vessels in the area, which include the United States, should work together against pirates. «It would be useful to coordinate the naval forces that are deployed,» Lavrov said, according to state-run RIA-Novosti. «It seems everything is leading to this.» He said Russia, «like the U.S. and EU,» will act on the basis of U.N. resolutions calling for international action against piracy. A resolution adopted by the Security Council in May called on states and regional organizations «to take action to protect shipping involved with the transportation and delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia.» In early June, a resolution adopted by the Security Council authorized countries, for a period of six months, to enter Somalia's territorial waters and use «all necessary means» to stop piracy. Russia ordered the frigate Neustrashimy, or Intrepid, to head for Somalia's coast after pirates hijacked the MV Faina last month. The navy said it is carrying marines and special forces but has also sought to play down talk of the use of force to free the crew of the Faina.
