Yemeni President Forms Coordination Committee to Implement Three Economic Plans

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the President of the Republic of Yemen Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. SPA
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the President of the Republic of Yemen Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. SPA
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Yemeni President Forms Coordination Committee to Implement Three Economic Plans

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the President of the Republic of Yemen Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. SPA
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the President of the Republic of Yemen Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. SPA

Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a decree to form a committee to coordinate the implementation of the results of his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the economic fields.

The committee’s tasks will focus on three main axes, including the Central Bank, the financing of services and the reconstruction projects.

The first article of the decree orders the formation of a committee called the Coordination and Follow-up Committee that will coordinate with the concerned authorities in the Kingdom on the implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting.

The second article stipulates that the committee will consist of the Minister of Finance Ahmed Obaid al-Fadli as chairman, the Minister of Public Works and Roads Dr. Moeen Abdul Malik as vice-chairman, and the following members: Deputy Governor of Yemen Central Bank Abbas Basha, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation Dr. Mohammad Al-Hawiri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Minerals for Gas Ous al-Oud, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity Khalil Abdul Malik, and Executive Director of PetroMasila Mohammed bin Sumait.

The third article states that the committee shall coordinate and follow up the implementation of the results of the meeting in the following axes: supporting the Central Bank with a $2 billion as a deposit to prevent the collapse of the Yemeni Riyal; financing the electricity of the liberated governorates by providing diesel for one year according to the reports submitted by the Ministry of Electricity; and providing services in the liberated governorates by the beginning of 2018, in the fields of electricity, water, health, education and roads.

Article 4 of the decree stipulates that the committee shall be entitled to seek the assistance of experts, advisors and government leaders to prepare the necessary plans and strategies to implement the various projects. The work reports shall be submitted directly to the Yemeni president and prime minister.



Putin Says Recession in Russia 'Must Not Be Allowed to Happen'

Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
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Putin Says Recession in Russia 'Must Not Be Allowed to Happen'

Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP

President Vladimir Putin on Friday urged officials not to let Russia fall into recession "under any circumstances", as some in his own government warned of a hit to economic growth.

Economists have warned for months of a slowdown in the Russian economy, with the country posting its slowest quarterly expansion in two years for the first quarter of 2025, reported AFP.

The Kremlin has said this was to be expected after two years of rapid growth as it ramped up military expenditure to fund the Ukraine campaign, but officials including the country's economy minister have raised alarm about possible pain ahead.

"Some specialists and experts are pointing to the risks of stagnation and even a recession," Putin told attendees at Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg.

"This must not be allowed to happen under any circumstances," he said.

"We need to pursue a competent, well-thought-out budgetary, tax and monetary policy," he added.

The Russian economy grew in 2023 and 2024 despite the West's sweeping sanctions, with massive state spending on the military powering a robust expansion.

But analysts have long warned that heavy public investment in the defense industry is no longer enough to keep Russia's economy growing and does not reflect a real increase in productivity.

At his address to the forum on Friday, Putin was upbeat about Russia's economic prospects and denied the economy was being driven solely by the defense and energy industries.

"Yes, of course, the defense industry played its part in this regard, but so did the financial and IT industries," he said.

He said the economy needed "balanced growth" and called on officials to keep a "close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises."