KSA Yemen to boost cooperation

RIYADH: Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Salman held talks in Jeddah yesterday with Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindawa. The talks focused on a range of bilateral and regional issues, the volatile situation in Yemen and the outcome of the recent two-day international donors’ conference.
Prime Minister Basindawa conveyed greetings from President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his government’s appreciation of the Kingdom’s generous support for Yemen.
Prince Salman and the Yemeni prime minister reviewed prospects for cooperation between the two countries and ways to enhance them, as well as the latest developments in the Arab world. The talks were attended by Prince Saud bin Naif, chief of the Court of the crown prince; Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah bin Musaed, adviser at the crown prince’s court; Prince Mohammed bin Salman, special adviser and supervisor of the office of the crown prince; and Lt. General Abdulrahman bin Saleh Al-Bunyan, director general of the defense minister’s office. Mohammed Al-Saadi, Yemeni minister of planning and international development, said: “Saudi assistance will go a long way to help the people in a country where political crisis has taken a serious toll on the economy.” Inflation in Yemen has soared to 17 percent.
Al-Saadi expressed readiness to partner with the national private sector to face the major challenges ahead. “The Yemeni government is ready to formulate partnerships with the private sector and community organizations based on the elements of transparency and fair distribution of management and services,” he said. He expressed the hope that the international community, private organizations, NGOs and UN agencies would fast-track efforts to extend help to Yemen. Ahmed Al-Ghanim, director of Saudi Exports Program, said the Kingdom’s export agency would increase the flow of Saudi exports to Yemeni markets. He asked the private sector in the Kingdom as well as other GCC states to invest in Yemen and reinforced his government’s commitment to provide an attractive investment environment.