Yemen urges foreign missions to resume work from Aden – Details
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry urged foreign diplomatic missions to resume their work in the temporary capital of Aden, pledging to provide all facilities in accordance with institutional work and to strengthen the role of the state in light of the difficult conditions the country has been going through for the past eight years.
Foreign diplomatic missions closed their embassies and evacuated their staff from the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, after the Houthi terrorist militia took control of it in September 2014.
Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak said Tuesday that full diplomatic activity will resume soon from the Saudi capital Aden, where the Yemeni foreign ministry has been based for years.
Ahmed bin Mubarak visited the ministry’s new office along with a number of European ambassadors and diplomats, the state-run Saba agency reported. He said the work in Aden will witness a shift to strengthen the national role to restore state institutions.
The government official confirmed that the visit was intended to encourage diplomatic missions to resume their duties from Aden.
The Yemeni Foreign Minister reiterated that achieving peace in Yemen in accordance with the three terms of reference is a top priority for the Presidential Command Council and the Yemeni government. He noted the government’s flexibility and the successive concessions it made to achieve peace.
Ahmed bin Mubarak said the Presidential Command Council and the government are working to improve public services and improve living and economic conditions despite the challenges and humanitarian conditions the country is facing as a result of the Houthi aggression against the Yemeni people and its vital economic resources.
Houthi militias have not halted their military assaults in various parts of Yemen, Dr. Ahmed bin Mubarak said, adding that it is important to maintain pressure on them and support the Presidential Command Council politically and economically to achieve peace.
Gabriel Venales, head of the EU mission in Yemen, stressed the importance of renewing and expanding the UN-led truce. Speaking on Twitter after a meeting with Yemen’s foreign minister, Venales reiterated his support for the UN envoy’s efforts to bring peace to Yemen.
Following a meeting with Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohsen Al-Daeri, EU ambassadors praised the Yemeni government’s commitment to peace and expressed support for efforts to unify Yemen’s military and security formations.
A study by the Yemeni Policy Center describes the six-month truce between April and September as the greatest achievement so far for the UN-led peace process, but according to the study, it did not change the feelings of frustration of the Yemenis, despite celebrating some of its achievements, such as the reopening of Sana’a International Airport to commercial flights.
The study warns that violence has continued unabated on many fronts, pointing to Houthi militia violations, the incompatibility of the truce with expectations that it will lead to a political process, and the state of negotiation over a political settlement.
