The speech by H.E. President Al-Alimi to Arab Summit in Baghdad

  Baghdad

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”

Your Excellency President Dr. Abdul Latif Rashid,

President of the Republic of Iraq, Chairman of the current session of the Council of the League of Arab States at summit level

Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,

Your Excellency Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,

Honorable Ministers and Distinguished Guests,

Allow me, at the outset, on my behalf, the members of the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Government of the Republic of Yemen, to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our brothers in the Republic of Iraq, led by my brother President Abdul Latif Rashid, for the excellent preparation and generous hospitality of this summit. 

We also highly value the sincere efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain, led by my brother His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa, during his presidency of the previous session.

Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,

The Palestinian cause, and the right of its people to freedom and independence, will always remain at the heart and conscience of this nation, and its living pulse, as one of the most just causes in history.

We reaffirm our unequivocal rejection of any form of displacement, deportation, or resettlement of the Palestinian people, as it constitutes a grave violation of international law. We emphasize the importance of continuing the efforts of the Arab Ministerial Committee in countering such schemes and obliging Israel to comply with international legitimacy resolutions that reject any attempts to alter the demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Republic of Yemen reaffirms its commitment to a just and comprehensive peace to end the Israeli occupation, based on international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, in a way that fulfills the aspirations of the Palestinian people and their right to establish an independent, fully sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

In this context, we support the initiative by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic to hold an international conference in New York aimed at reviving the two-state solution and recognizing the State of Palestine.

Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,

The exceptional circumstances and challenges facing our Arab region require an honest and courageous stance, starting with transforming the resolutions of these summits into action and moving towards a more serious level of solidarity and collective response to shared terrorist threats.

Foremost among these threats are foreign interventions in our internal affairs and the attempts to fragment our national states and their legitimate institutions through rogue terrorist groups that prioritize the agendas of their sponsors over the interests of our nation and its national security.

These challenges have intensified as these groups and militias have evolved into transnational threats—no longer a merely local matter as once mistakenly believed. Their destruction now reaches everywhere, including maritime security and strategic waterways and channels, necessitating a firm Arab stance that prioritizes our collective security and support for national state institutions above all else.

Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,

Honorable Ministers and Guests,

For over ten years, our Yemeni people have been engaged in an existential battle against the Houthi terrorist militia project, backed by the Iranian regime. Today, with your support and fraternal positions, our people are more determined than ever to end this suffering and overthrow this cross-border agenda—especially after all efforts to persuade this group to abandon its racist approach and respond to the popular will and international resolutions have been exhausted. This has further solidified the conviction that the group is neither a peace project nor a temporary threat, but a lasting danger to regional and international peace and security.

From this platform, we renew our deep thanks and appreciation to our brothers in the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Their efforts have played a pivotal role in the legendary resilience of our great Yemeni people, in alleviating humanitarian suffering, and in maintaining the cohesion of national institutions over the past years.

We look forward to decisive resolutions from this summit to strengthen this resilience and deter the arrogance of the militias, including the strict implementation of the Arab League Council’s resolution at the permanent representatives level to designate the Houthi militia as a foreign terrorist organization.

A collective stance supporting this designation will leave no doubt about our commitment to the charters of the Arab League and the United Nations. It will also send a clear message to all militias that challenge the exclusive right of our national states to control arms and decisions of war and peace. This is the best path to restoring peace and stability across our region.

We also hope that this summit, along with the concurrent Economic Summit hosted by this dear country, will lead to the launch of collective initiatives to aid our war-torn peoples, support economic recovery, and rebuild destroyed institutions—as the best path to combating terrorism and building the sustainable peace our peoples deserve.

On this occasion, we reiterate our congratulations to our brothers in the Syrian Arab Republic—its leadership, government, and people—on the decision to lift sanctions, with continued thanks to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for his key role in achieving this historic milestone.

We also commend the outcomes of the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which served Arab interests and strategic causes.

Let me also express the Yemeni people’s gratitude to our brothers in the Arab Republic of Egypt, under the leadership of my brother President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, for the recent facilitations granted to Yemenis fleeing the brutality of the Houthi militias and seeking medical care in this proud Arab country.

Majesties and Excellencies,

Despite the horrors of war and deep wounds, the Republic of Yemen and its noble people remain steadfast in their absolute commitment to Arab principles. Yemen will continue—as it has throughout history—to be a genuine depth and a loyal supporter of its nation’s causes, and an active partner in protecting Arab national security and defending our shared supreme interests.

Once again, I extend my sincere thanks to you, my brother President Abdul Latif Rashid, and I pray to Allah that the proceedings of this summit will be guided by wisdom and culminate in success.

May Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you