Foreign Minister Dr. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said that Yemen is now on the cusp of a new phase, a federal state and a new constitution.
The Foreign Minister pointed out in Yemen’s speech, which he delivered on Tuesday during the opening of the Economic Forum and Arab Cooperation with Central Asia and Azerbaijan hosted by the Saudi capital Riyadh, that Yemen had made great strides towards achieving the Yemeni people’s aspirations represented in reform , democracy, freedom, equal citizenship and decent living, especially after the great transformations witnessed by Yemen and the Arab world during the past few years.
He noted that, since the start of the transitional phase and the signing of the Gulf initiative in 2011, the Yemeni government strived to implement the initiative’s items and move forward building a new Yemen. The Constitutional Commission recently started drafting of a new constitution based on the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), as a prelude for parliamentary and presidential elections, Dr. al-Qirbi explained.
“Today, Yemen’s government and people are locked in a comprehensive battle against extremism and terrorism in order to maintain security and stability of Yemen, region and world”, the minister said.
He expressed Yemen’s gratitude to brotherly and friendly countries for their supportive positions represented in the political and economic support, especially during the current transitional phase, including the pledges declared during the two donor conferences in Riyadh and New York and meetings of the Friends of Yemen, the last of which was in last April in London.
Dr. al-Qirbi indicated that Yemen’s relations with the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan witnessed a remarkable development during the past few years through the exchange of high-level visits, which resulted in the signing of several agreements and protocols and memoranda of understandings to strengthen ties of cooperation with these countries in various areas.
He emphasized the need to remove obstacles to investment opportunities and movement of capital between the participating countries.
On the Palestinian issue, the foreign minister welcomed the reconciliation agreement signed between Palestine Liberation Organization and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), urging the international community to bear its responsibilities towards the Palestinian people.
Regarding the issue of Syria, al-Qirbi said that the serious dialogue between all national forces and the government is the solution to take out Syria from the circle of violence and to develop a road map for change and transfer of power according to the will of the Syrian people.
Ending the speech, Dr. al-Qirbi expressed his appreciation to the Saudi government for hosting the Forum.
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Saba