The United Kingdom, like Greece, has a long maritime history and is deeply committed to global maritime security.
And global action is needed to tackle the growing threats we now face to our seas, our peoples and our shared prosperity.
That is why the United Kingdom is strongly committed to our partnership within NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, and with wider friends and partners, as a means to contribute to our collective security.
That includes working together with States across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to address threats wherever they occur.
Our Carrier Strike Group’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific is a sign of our commitment to work with our partners in a region of fundamental importance to global peace and prosperity.
In the Black Sea, we are supporting the protection of Ukraine’s maritime Black Sea corridor along with our partners.
We are also leading the Maritime Capability Coalition alongside Norway, supporting Ukraine’s defence of its sovereign waters.
That’s alongside efforts to confront the so-called shadow fleet operation.
In the Middle East, we have acted to prevent Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, including through Operation Prosperity Guardian with the United States and others.
Our European colleagues have joined these efforts through Operation ASPIDES.
We thank Greece for its leading role, including the hosting of the command from Larissa.
We also call for collective efforts to ensure that the arms embargo as set out in resolution 2216 is upheld, and to support Yemen’s Coast Guard.
We equally need to ensure the implementation of the arms embargo off the coast of Libya, and we call for the renewal of the mandate this month for Operation Irini.
More broadly, our partnership with Greece is an example of how cooperation can protect our countries from maritime threats, including illegal migration and drug smuggling.
Alongside this, we are delivering legal changes at home to tackle people-smuggling rings and starve them of income.
And the UK also remains strongly committed to upholding freedom of navigation and the primacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
President, in the face of such diverse threats, we must redouble our shared efforts, including by broadening collaboration on strategic challenges within the International Maritime Organisation, which the UK is proud to host.
And as we look to the future, we must strengthen our work together, both in this Council and through our bilateral partnerships, to secure our seas for future generations.
