Greece Tells UN Security Council Yemen's Sovereignty and Airspace Must Be Respected

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Greece has reaffirmed its commitment to respecting Yemen’s sovereignty, telling the United Nations Security Council that the country’s territorial integrity, independence and unity — including its national airspace — must be upheld in line with international law. The statement came during a council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, with Yemen at its centre, where Greece’s permanent representative, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, warned of the dangers the conflict poses to both regional and global peace and security.

Balta voiced particular concern about the Houthi movement’s posture toward maritime and aerial security, arguing that the threat extended beyond rhetoric to a tangible danger to stability. Greece, she said, condemns such actions, and she cautioned that the intensity of the conflict and its potential to escalate further compound an already alarming humanitarian situation inside Yemen and across the wider region.

The Greek envoy reaffirmed her country’s strong support for the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to facilitate an inclusive political process led and owned by the Yemeni people under UN auspices. Prioritising Yemeni ownership of any settlement, she said, is essential to aligning the process with international frameworks while creating the conditions for a lasting peace — one that keeps the country’s sovereignty intact even amid persistent challenges.

Maritime security in the Red Sea featured prominently in the statement. Balta stressed that freedom of navigation is vital not only to regional actors but to the global economy, given the volume of trade that passes through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Ensuring safe passage for commercial vessels, she argued, requires adherence to international standards and the protection of shipping from emerging threats.

On that point, Balta noted that Greece serves as co-penholder with the United States on the Yemen file at the council and supports extending the Secretary-General’s monthly reporting requirement on Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. That mechanism, extended under Security Council Resolution 2812 in January 2026, provides what she called a reliable basis for monitoring and verifying attacks, and Greece backed its renewal for a further six months, which the council approved in July with the adoption of Resolution 2826.

The ambassador placed heavy emphasis on the arms embargo imposed under Security Council Resolution 2216 and its subsequent updates, describing full compliance with UN sanctions as essential to any diplomatic effort to stabilise the region. She called on all member states to shoulder a collective responsibility to enforce the measures decisively and to prevent attempts to circumvent the embargo that could undermine negotiations.

Efforts to breach the arms restrictions, Balta warned, do more than weaken the talks; they deepen the conflict and drive fresh violence and instability. The war has produced a dire humanitarian crisis, with United Nations agencies estimating that more than 22 million people need assistance in 2026 and some 5.2 million remain internally displaced in bleak conditions, while recurring outbreaks of diseases such as cholera continue to strain an exhausted population.

The Greek statement situated Yemen within a broader contest among regional powers. The Houthis are backed by Iran, while a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates supports the internationally recognised government — competing interests that have helped turn Yemen into an arena for wider rivalries. The international community, Balta suggested, must navigate those tensions while continuing to promote dialogue.

Prospects for peace, she indicated, hinge on how effectively the United Nations can broker negotiations in an environment where trust is scarce. The divergent aims of domestic factions and outside stakeholders create a tangle of obstacles that can slow progress, and Greece stressed that fully engaging local communities in the political process — and meeting their immediate humanitarian needs — will be central to any durable stability.

As the crisis grinds on, its consequences continue to reach beyond Yemen’s borders, touching global trade and security interests tied to the Red Sea corridor. Cohesive action, both in upholding international law and in reinforcing diplomatic initiatives, will be vital to curbing threats and creating space for meaningful discussions, the Greek statement argued.

Greece framed its intervention as part of a wider push by council members to keep Yemen high on the international agenda. By pairing its defence of Yemeni sovereignty with concrete support for monitoring mechanisms and the arms embargo, Athens sought to link principle to practical enforcement, presenting the two as inseparable elements of a credible strategy.

In the months ahead, Balta said, the international community will be watching Yemen closely as tensions persist and the case for a negotiated peace grows more urgent. Sustaining momentum toward political dialogue while ensuring compliance with the arms embargo, she argued, must remain priorities for those committed to stabilising the country.

Greece, currently serving an elected term on the Security Council, made its remarks at a session convened amid heightened alarm over reported Iranian flights into Yemen and a fresh round of regional escalation. Alongside other members, Athens joined calls for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy, positioning its defence of Yemeni sovereignty within that immediate effort to keep the confrontation from widening.

The outlook, by Greece’s own assessment, remains fraught with difficulty. Yet Balta presented the current moment as an opportunity for renewed, collaborative effort — one grounded in respect for Yemen’s sovereignty and aimed at fostering peace in a region long defined by turbulence.