WASHINGTON, D.C., United States —
In his keynote address to the WCYS Annual Conference, the Yemeni Prime Minister, Dr. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, blamed the Houthis for igniting the war and providing an opportunity for Iranian interventions, which caused the complexity of the war and the collapse of the state, changing the political map, exaggerating the war economy, and declining education.
H.E. Dr. Maeen Abdulmalik called for activating the initiatives, extending the truce, which was extended twice before and withstood for six months, and moving towards comprehensive peace talks that require confidence-building measures that enable the transition to discuss complex and challenging files in the conflict. Military security, the economy, and state institutions, stressing his government’s position on providing full support for any peace initiative and partnership with the United Nations and the international community to make this process successful and pave the way for comprehensive peace talks.
His Excellency explained that Yemen is viewed through the lens of regional dynamics, security threats, or the humanitarian crisis. Therefore, the essence of the war and its impact on the political, economic, social, and humanitarian aspects are understood, pointing out that it is a complex country in terms of its social fabric, geographical nature, and political history.
The Prime Minister blamed the Houthis for obstructing the talks, noting that allowing fuel ships to enter the port of Hodeidah was an issue that could have been resolved years ago if the Houthis had stopped their maneuvers.
Abdel Malik suggested setting specific timetables for implementation based on confidence-building efforts, saying, “The results of any peace negotiations require a platform to implement them. This platform is a government institution. Therefore, supporting the government’s efforts to build state institutions must be an integral part of the international community’s program for Yemen. He added, “The government operates at full capacity from the interim capital, Aden, and its main program is to strengthen state institutions and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. However, we face complex challenges represented in the recurring political turmoil in our lands, economic and security challenges, our resources are scarce and economic support is limited, and since the Saudi deposit in 2018 for the sector.” Electricity, the government still needs to receive tangible economic support.
Moreover, he appreciated the Saudi and Emirati efforts in providing the economic support package announced last April. He stressed that this economic support led to progress in state institutions and that the central bank could perform its work and provide the minimum level of services, including Electricity, water, health, education, and the expansion of various reform plans in various vital sectors.
The Yemeni Prime Minister added, “We have been able to contain consumption by using the government’s strict monetary and fiscal policies and a strict monetary policy, and we have taken decisions to increase revenues. As a result, oil and non-oil revenues will reduce the budget deficit from 54 percent in 2020 to 35 percent in 2021, and we plan to reduce it.” by less than 20 percent this year.”
The Washington Center for Yemeni Studies launched the WCYS 1st Annual Conference 2022 – Yemen Under the Scope in Washington, D.C., on September 29th. Since then, Yemeni-led in-depth conversations have brought together various political, economic, and civil society actors by offering an inclusive platform for diverse voices in Yemeni affairs to share insights and advance solutions for overarching issues and struggles in ending the crisis.
-Prime Minister of the Republic of Yemen to the United States, Dr. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed Address at the 1st WCYS Annual Conference 2022 – Yemen Under the Scope.
