Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani affirmed today, June 9, that the Gulf-Yemeni relations are solid and established fraternal relations that have been rooted over decades, pointing to the State of Qatar's full support for the Presidential Leadership Council headed by HE Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al Alimi and its supporting government bodies to achieve security and stability in Yemen and reach a political solution in accordance with the Gulf Initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference to preserve Yemen's sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and independence.
In his speech during the joint ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Republic of Yemen, His Excellency stated that the meeting aimed to unifying visions, exchanging views, and intensifying coordination, especially given the tensions and conflicts the region is experiencing, which require to face them and strive to achieve security and peace at both the regional and international levels.
His Excellency valued the sincere efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman and the ongoing communications with all Yemeni parties to revive the political process, aiming for a comprehensive and sustainable political solution in Yemen.
His Excellency affirmed that the State of Qatar will not hesitate to fulfill its humanitarian duties and responsibilities in providing various forms of support and assistance to alleviate the humanitarian crisis's impact on the Yemeni people, pointing to the State of Qatar's keenness to enhance cooperation with the United Nations and various humanitarian agencies and organizations to enable them to tackle all challenges and difficulties in implementing their humanitarian programs and activities in Yemen.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated the State of Qatar's support for all mediation efforts to resolve the Yemeni crisis, emphasizing that negotiation among Yemenis based on the outcomes of the national dialogue, the Gulf Initiative, and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 2,216, is the only way to resolve this crisis. He reaffirmed Qatar's unwavering stance alongside the Yemeni people until they achieve their aspirations for security, stability, and development.
His Excellency noted that the escalating geopolitical tensions in the region over the past months, from the war on Gaza to the confrontations in the Red Sea, have significantly affected regional security and stability, adding that these circumstances, along with their security, political, economic, and humanitarian repercussions, have compounded the hardships facing Yemen, further burdening the government, which is burdened by the consequences of the war and the challenges accompanying it.
His Excellency stressed that the difficult conditions in the region have placed us in a highly critical and sensitive situation, necessitating the resolution of these crises through peaceful means and dialogue among the parties rather than violence, adding that this requires intensified regional and international efforts to exert continuous pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza, as it is the epicenter of other ensuing crises, including the tensions in the Red Sea.
Concluding his remarks, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani reiterated the State of Qatar's continued supportive stance for joint action with all regional and international partners and its commitment to mediating between conflicting parties to bring an end to these escalating crises.
For his part, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the sisterly Republic of Yemen HE Dr. Shaya Zindani said that organising this joint meeting confirms the keenness of the GCC countries and their interest in supporting the Republic of Yemen. He hoped that its outcomes would culminate in strengthening and developing the relations linking Yemen with its brothers in the GCC council and that it would contribute to enhancing partnership and coordination with them and reviewing the progress that has been achieved in all fields to enhance that strategic relationship dictated by the necessities of geography, social, cultural and historical ties, and considerations of common interests, especially in light of the current developments taking place in Arab countries and the region as a whole, considering Yemen an integral part of the geostrategic map of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula.
His Excellency added that Yemen's government was keen to respond to all regional and international efforts seeking to end the war and achieve peace, including the efforts led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman to reach a road map, the signing of which was stalled due to the escalation and attacks carried out by the Houthi militias in the Red Sea on civilian and commercial vessels, threatening the security and safety of maritime navigation and freedom of global trade, and threatening security and peace in the region despite the concessions made by the government.
His Excellency pointed to the continuation of those acts of escalation, in addition to the measures taken by the militias and violations of the truce, and finally a campaign of arrests of a number of representatives and employees of international organisations operating in the areas under their control, which confirms that the issues aimed at stopping the war and moving to a political solution will once again collide with the ideological sectarian approach that these militias follow and their belief in using force and violence as a means to achieve control over power, and the rejection of any national partnership that would put the interests of the state and the Yemeni people above sectarian and factional considerations.
HE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Yemen called for support for all steps and efforts aimed at stopping the war and achieving peace while emphasizing the importance of strengthening and supporting the Yemeni government through the GCC countries to enable it to play its role in exercising its full sovereign functions and imposing control over all state lands and the authority's organs and institutions in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, especially resolution 2216, the Gulf Initiative, and the outcomes of the national dialogue.
His Excellency pointed out that Yemen is still facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, as tragic statistics indicate that 18.2 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, while 17.6 million people suffer from severe food insecurity, in addition to the increasing number of forcibly displaced people from Houthi militia areas to around 4.5 million displaced people, who live in random camps that lack basic services.
His Excellency said that despite the unofficial truce that has been ongoing since October 2022, due to the Houthi attacks on oil export ports, export operations were disrupted, with government revenues losing around 65 percent, leading to an increase in the budget deficit, making the government unable to pay the salaries of state employees in an adequate regular manner. This also led to a contraction of the national economy to more than 50 percent of the gross domestic product, and the loss of millions of dollars, in addition to the escalation of inflation rates to record levels with the deterioration of the price of the national currency against foreign currencies, the increase in the volume of local and external public debts, and the accumulation of overdue debts owed to countries and regional and international institutions.
HE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the sisterly Republic of Yemen Dr. Shaya Zindani concluded his speech by saying that Houthis' targeting of commercial vessels at the entrance to the Red Sea led to the disruption of trade flows and the rise in prices of basic commodities due to the high cost of marine insurance. This was reflected in the deterioration of living standards and the degree of suffering and economic and living distress increased for most of the population. Poverty rates rose by 78 percent, unemployment by 35 percent, and basic services witnessed a sharp decline, especially electricity and water, in addition to the deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation and the collapse of the health system.
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 outcomes 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 organisations 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 hosted 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 purchasing 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.
