HE Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the convening of the joint ministerial meeting between the GCC and the Republic of Yemen comes as an extension of the directives of Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the GCC countries and HE the President of Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council regarding deepening the partnership between the two sides, enhancing aspects of cooperation, coordinating consultations and reviewing the progress achieved in all areas of cooperation between the two sides to enhance security and stability in brotherly Yemen and achieve prosperity and well-being for its people.

In his speech during the meeting, His Excellency affirmed the full support for the Presidential Leadership Council headed by HE Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi and the entities supporting him to achieve security and stability in Yemen and reach a comprehensive political solution in accordance with the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outc
omes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference, and the Security Council resolution 2216.

He pointed to the continued efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman to support the efforts of the United Nations, led by its special envoy to Yemen, aimed at signing the road map agreement between the Yemeni parties and engaging in consultations under the auspices of the United Nations to attain the desired peace, although the Houthi militias continue with the military option by carrying out attacks on international shipping lines and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and that despite their undertakings to the UN Secretary-General’s envoy to Yemen in December 2023 for a complete ceasefire, taking measures to improve living conditions, and resuming an inter-Yemeni political process.

The GCC Secretary General praised the Yemeni government’s commitment and adherence to the UN truce declared in April 2022, though the Houthi militias continued to expand the
scope of their military operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden targeting commercial ships in addition to sending military reinforcements to major internal fronts.

He said that the GCC countries are committed to continuing to support the brotherly Yemeni people in all fields, especially in economic, development and humanitarian domains, as the GCC countries represent the largest international donors to Yemen and have provided it with more than 37 billion dollars, including: economic and developmental support since 2006 and relief and humanitarian assistance since 2015, provided through the office for coordination of relief and humanitarian aid granted by the GCC to the Republic of Yemen, the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid, and relief organizations in the GCC countries.

He pointed out that, in implementation of the decisions of the esteemed Supreme Council of the GCC regarding supporting the Republic of Yemen in the economic and development aspect, the GCC General Secretariat hoste
d the twenty-first meeting of the joint committee to determine the development needs of the Republic of Yemen in January 2024, in which the GCC countries, the development funds affiliated with the Cooperation Council, the regional funds, the United Nations Development Program, and the GCC General Secretariat took part to coordinate support and efforts with regard to development projects. The projects submitted by the Republic of Yemen were also discussed, and a list of urgent priority projects was identified. Also, a team was formed to study the urgent needs and urgent projects, with the participation of the United Nations Development Program to provide all support to the Republic of Yemen in presenting studies and setting priorities.

HE Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi appreciated the efforts of the Yemeni government aimed at alleviating the repercussions of the difficult economic conditions by focusing on the vital sectors related to population needs, most notably the energy supply sector and preserving the purchas
ing value of the national currency through re-evaluating the mechanisms for imposing the Yemeni central bank’s monetary policy in Aden and benefiting from the generous support provided by the GCC countries.

Source: Qatar News Agency