Yemeni PM Asserts Efforts to Fight Corruption, Implement Reforms

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during the meeting with Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and Finance Ministry officials (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during the meeting with Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and Finance Ministry officials (Saba News Agency)
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Yemeni PM Asserts Efforts to Fight Corruption, Implement Reforms

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during the meeting with Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and Finance Ministry officials (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik during the meeting with Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and Finance Ministry officials (Saba News Agency)

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik said the government is determined to continue fighting corruption and implement more economic reforms.

Official sources stated that Abdulmalik chaired a meeting in the interim capital Aden with the leaderships of the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and Finance Ministry to discuss economic and living conditions.

State-owned Saba agency reported that the meeting was attended by Finance Minister Salim bin Bureik and CBY Governor Ahmed Ghalib. The officials examined the level of implementation of financial and monetary reforms.

The meeting also addressed enhancing transparency, governance, and the subsequent measures in light of the government's policies to achieve economic stability.

It also discussed the coordination between fiscal and monetary policy and aspects of integration to control the exchange rates, increase public revenues, urgently address deficiencies in administrative aspects, combat corruption, and enhance integrity.

The officials reviewed the agreement between the CYB and the Ministry and the measures in coordination between the two entities to tackle some irregularities.

The PM stressed the necessity of uniting all efforts to overcome the difficulties resulting from the exceptional conditions. He also thanked the Coalition to Support Legitimacy led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE for their generous and continuous support for Yemen and its people.

Abdulmalik asserted that the government's reform plan in the economic, financial, and administrative field should be implemented without any delay, lauding the outstanding efforts of the Finance Ministry and the CYB leaderships.

He indicated that the noticeable improvement in the exchange rate came from the reforms, asserting that it will be reinforced shortly by additional measures and support from Yemen's partners and friends.

Abdulmalik promised the situation would witness a significant breakthrough soon, asserting the importance of an "economic battle."

"We will achieve a victory in our economic battle similar to the military victories achieved in Shabwa, Marib, and the rest of the battlefronts against Iran's bloody project in Yemen through its proxies, the Houthi militia."

The Finance Minister presented a report about the Ministry's plan to improve taxes and customs revenues, fight taxes evasion, and boost oil proceeds.

CYB governor provided a report about the fiscal year 2021, and the measures taken in coordination with the government and the Finance Ministry to tackle some irregularities.



War Shakes Middle East Airports, Passengers Held Hostage

Passengers wait at Beirut airport amid disruptions caused by Israeli-Iranian conflict (EPA)
Passengers wait at Beirut airport amid disruptions caused by Israeli-Iranian conflict (EPA)
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War Shakes Middle East Airports, Passengers Held Hostage

Passengers wait at Beirut airport amid disruptions caused by Israeli-Iranian conflict (EPA)
Passengers wait at Beirut airport amid disruptions caused by Israeli-Iranian conflict (EPA)

The Israeli-Iranian war has severely disrupted air traffic across the Middle East, causing widespread airport closures and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

Travelers have been left stranded or forced to reroute their journeys amid altered takeoff and landing schedules, with many airports affected by military use of their airspace by both Tel Aviv and Tehran for warplanes, missiles, and drones.

Thousands of passengers have had to substitute flights with land or sea travel to avoid danger or endure long waits for alternate air transport.

Since the Israeli airstrikes on Iran that began in the early hours of last Friday, followed by Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile attacks, the airspace over Israel, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq has been closed.

Aviation sources reported that more than 650 flights bound for Europe were canceled. Gulf and European carriers have suspended flights to countries caught in the conflict zone.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that airlines are now using safer flight routes, deliberately avoiding Iraqi, Syrian, Jordanian, and Lebanese airspace, as well as the fully closed skies of Israel and Iran.

Some carriers operating emergency flights to Beirut, Amman, and Egypt are following strict safety protocols.

Flights departing Beirut airport are routed westward over the Mediterranean Sea toward Cyprus and then Greece, before continuing to Europe or the Gulf, deliberately avoiding Lebanese, Syrian, and Iraqi airspace—a sharp contrast to pre-conflict routes.

Several Arab and European airlines, including Emirates, flydubai, Etihad, Air France, Transavia, Lufthansa, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Pegasus, continue to suspend flights to the region. The disruption has hit operations at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, which experienced chaos in the initial days of the war and widespread passenger panic.

However, the airport has since begun stabilizing. Amin Jaber, Director General of Civil Aviation at Rafic Hariri Airport, said the facility “has overcome the initial disruption quickly by implementing swift solutions for stranded travelers.”

He added that a newly formed crisis management committee is closely monitoring risks hour by hour to keep flights clear of security threats.

Jaber confirmed that the conflict “has forced the crisis committee to adopt multiple flight paths for arrivals and departures at Rafic Hariri Airport.”

“Due to security concerns, we rely on the western runway, which is the safest, and use Cypriot airspace to steer aircraft away from missile threats. Whenever missile launches are detected, Lebanese airspace is immediately closed to all flights,” Jaber added.

The disruptions seen at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport mirror the wider chaos across the region’s airports. Jaber said all airlines operating arrivals and departures at Beirut have comprehensive risk assessments in place.

Beirut airport experienced significant turmoil during the first two days of the conflict, with hundreds of passengers forced to wait indefinitely after numerous flight cancellations and schedule changes.

Many opted to leave the airport and return to the city amid the uncertainty. Jaber noted that conditions have since improved both at Beirut and other airports that have partially suspended operations.

Before any civilian aircraft takes off or lands, airport authorities and airlines ensure no immediate threats jeopardize the safety of planes or passengers.

Former Middle East Airlines (MEA) pilot Mohammad Aziz told Asharq Al-Awsat that flight safety responsibility rests not with pilots alone, but with the risk assessment committees, civil aviation authorities, airport management, and air traffic control towers guiding pilots during flight.

Aziz revealed that planes are equipped with large fuel reserves allowing extended flight time to accommodate emergencies requiring route changes or longer airborne holding patterns.

Currently serving as a safety and security advisor to MEA’s chairman, Captain Aziz highlighted that Rafic Hariri Airport is among the least vulnerable to missile threats because its flight paths are directed west and north. He warned, however, that the greatest danger lies in flights over Syrian territory.

“Despite this,” Aziz said, “Beirut airport management exercises the utmost caution. The control tower and airport authorities remain on high alert, maintaining constant communication with pilots to reroute or divert flights to alternate airports if evolving conditions threaten aircraft and passengers.”