Presidential Leadership Council Meets with Prime Minister, Continues Discussions on Economic and Service Conditions

  Aden

Today, Monday, the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) convened a meeting chaired by His Excellency Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, the President of the Council. The meeting was held in presence of Council members: Sultan Al-Arada, Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi, Othman Mujali, and Faraj Al-Buhsani in person, while Tariq Saleh and Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami participated via video conference. Council member Aidarous Al-Zubaidi was absent with an excuse.

At the outset of the meeting, which was attended by Mr. Salem Saleh bin Burik, the Prime Minister, the PLC congratulated the new Prime Minister on gaining confidence and commended the efforts of his predecessor, Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, during his premiership amid exceptionally complex local and regional circumstances.

The Council expressed its confidence in the Prime Minister and the cabinet members, to encourage a spirit of teamwork to confront current challenges, and address the priorities of this phase—foremost among them mobilizing all available resources and capabilities to support the restoration of state institutions, mitigate economic and service deterioration, and strengthen partnerships with the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with regional and international partners.

The PLC reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the government's efforts and facilitating the full exercise of its constitutional and legal mandates in accordance with the references of the transitional phase, including the Power Transfer Declaration and the regulations governing the work of the Council and its supporting bodies.

The Council emphasized the importance of the government operating consistently and fully, from within the country. It called for urgent action to address citizens' pressing concerns regarding essential goods and services, while advancing institutional reforms, activating governance mechanisms, and intensifying efforts to combat terrorism and corruption in all forms.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister presented a broad framework outlining his government's priorities for the upcoming phase, particularly in economic and service-related areas, while highlighting the need for presidential, regional, and international support at various levels.

Following this, the Council continued its deliberations in a separate session attended by Mr. Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Maabqi, the Governor of the Central Bank of Yemen, Mr. Mohamed Hezam Al-Ashwal, Minister of Industry and Trade, and Mr. Hossam Al-Sharjabi, the head of the Economic Team. The discussions focused on local and regional developments, particularly the latest economic, service-related, security, and humanitarian challenges exacerbated by the attacks of the Iran-backed Houthi militia on oil facilities and international shipping lanes.

The Council listened to briefings from the Prime Minister, the Central Bank Governor, the Minister of Industry and Trade, and the head of the economic team on the current economic and service conditions in the interim capital Aden and liberated governorates. These included coordinated government-local authority efforts to improve fuel supplies, electricity generation capacities, and correct imbalances in this vital sector.

The briefings covered key financial and monetary performance indicators, including developments in the national currency exchange rate and essential commodity prices. They also outlined proposed policies and decisions to strengthen government's role in addressing these challenges, improving its resources, and enhancing its operational performance at both central and local levels.

The reports addressed the operational readiness of ports to receive petroleum derivatives and commercial imports, as well as measures to facilitate their smooth flow—aimed at bolstering economic resources and alleviating humanitarian suffering across the country.

The meeting reviewed ongoing counterterrorism efforts, as well as measures to combat smuggling and organized crime. In this context, it commended the achievements of all security and military agencies across various fronts in intercepting shipments of Iranian weapons smuggled to affiliated Houthi militias and allied terrorist organizations.

The Council reaffirmed the state's commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities in addressing bottlenecks in essential services, enhancing revenue streams, and supporting the measures undertaken by the government and the Central Bank of Yemen to regain control of the market and rectify monetary distortions.

In this context, the Council expressed its appreciation for the efforts of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy and the donor community in continuously addressing the developmental and humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people, as well as their aspirations for security, stability, development, and peace.

The PLC also received an operational update on the military frontlines across the theater of operations, including combat readiness levels, intelligence-sharing measures, and steps taken to implement the Council's decision regarding front-line unification. The briefing further covered joint security and military efforts to deter Houthi aggressions and combat terrorism, amid the explicit collusion between terrorist organizations and Iran-backed militias.

The Council approved the minutes of its previous meeting and adopted several decisions on the issues included in its agenda.