President of Presidential Council Receives UK Minister of State for the Middle East

  Riyadh

His Excellency President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council, received today, Monday, Mr. Hamish Falconer, the British Minister of State for Middle East, in the presence of Dr. Shai’a Al-Zandani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

The meeting reviewed the deep-rooted historical relations between the two friendly countries and ways to strengthen them across various fields. It also discussed priorities for British and international support required to bolster the Yemeni government’s capacity to build institutions, enforce security and stability, address shared threats, combat terrorism and organized crime, and protect international maritime navigation.

President Al-Alimi praised the United Kingdom’s principled and steadfast stances in support of national states in the region, including Yemen and Sudan, and its continued backing of the unity of states and their legitimate institutions.

The President also expressed his appreciation for the UK’s role within the UN Security Council as the penholder, and as a responsible partner in advancing realistic and sustainable political solutions.

The meeting further addressed the transformations witnessed in Yemen in recent months, with generous support from the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These transformations included enhanced state presence and institutions, normalization of conditions, improvement of basic services, regular payment of salaries, securing commercial imports, ending the militarization of cities, and unifying security and military decision-making.

President Al-Alimi noted that these indicators confirm that claims of a security vacuum following the termination of parallel arrangements were misleading. He stressed that lasting peace cannot be built amid multiple centers of decision-making.

His Excellency affirmed that unifying forces under the Ministries of Defense and Interior constitutes a fundamental guarantee for security and stability, counterterrorism efforts, and the success of any political process.

The President emphasized that Yemen today is closer to recovery than it has been in years, underscoring that international support at this moment would make a strategic difference. He added that Yemen’s stability is a decisive entry point to regional stability and the security of vital waterways.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Yahya Al-Shuaibi, Director of the Office of the Presidency of the Republic, and Ms. Abda Sharif, the UK Ambassador to Yemen.