President Al- Alimi Receives French Ambassador To Yemen

  Riyadh

His Excellency President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council( PLC), received today, Sunday, Catherine Corm-Kammoun, the French Ambassador to Yemen, who handed him an invitation from the French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the opening events of the Olympic games that Paris hosts by the end of next month.

The meeting touched upon the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, latest local and regional developments, including the continued repercussions of terrorist Houthi militias’ attacks, (proxy of the Iranian regime), on oil facilities, shipping, and prospects for peace and stability in Yemen.

The meeting also touched on the ongoing preparations to hold the Paris Club meeting by the end of this month, and the role of Yemen’s partners and friends in handling Yemen's debt, supporting Yemeni government efforts to improve the economic and service performance. In addition to alleviating the humanitarian crisis created by the Iran- backed terrorist Houthi militias.

President Al-Alimi was briefed by the French Ambassador on the program of her recent and upcoming contacts with local forces, regional and international actors. Furthermore, the president was briefed on Paris’ assessments of the developments at the national and regional levels, and ways of join efforts to control the repercussions of such developments.

During the meeting, the President of the Presidential Leadership Council praised the distinguished bilateral relations between the two friendly countries. His Excellency praised the French  position in understanding the rationale of the monetary and banking reforms led by Central Bank of Yemen (CBY), with the support of the PLC and the government.

His Excellency the President reassured the banking system and international community that the CBY's recent decisions are only requiring the banks in  Houthi-controlled areas to move  their main operations centers, to the interim capital of Aden, including information systems, data centers, international operations management, and compliance management. In addition, these decisions require banks to hold the meetings of their general assembly outside Houthi-controlled areas, while continuing their banking  business as branches all over governorates in accordance with the regulations and laws in force.

The President of the Presidential Leadership Council recalled the unilateral actions and destructive practices that the Houthi militias have resorted over the past years seeking to divide the banking system. His Excellency recalled the Houthis’ actions to damaging the national economy and the banking sector, exacerbating the humanitarian disaster, threatening monetary and financial stability, weakening confidence in the national currency, leading to printing counterfeit currency, in addition to placing Yemeni banks under international sanctions.

The President explained that the Central Bank's decisions are purely technical and financial measures, with no political motives behind them. Those decisions were rather made within the Bank's powers, independence, and legal responsibilities to protect banking sector from collapse, unlike what is being promoted by the Houthi militias.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Yahya Al-Shuaibi, Director of the Office of the Presidency of the Republic.