Yemen's Al-Alimi Heads to Saudi Arabia, UAE

Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (AFP/Getty Images)
Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (AFP/Getty Images)
TT
20

Yemen's Al-Alimi Heads to Saudi Arabia, UAE

Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (AFP/Getty Images)
Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (AFP/Getty Images)

Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi departed the interim capital Aden on Monday for an unofficial visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al-Alimi is seeking to accelerate the economic support and aid provided to his country, whether towards the Central Bank or in carrying out vital projects in liberated regions.

He will also seek support to the PLC’s position on reforms that aim to rebuild the state.

A presidency statement said his visit, which is set to last several days, “embodies the firm historic relations between Yemen and the UAE and Saudi Arabia.”

It reflects their “effective role as part of the coalition to support legitimacy and their humanitarian and economic support aimed at easing the suffering of the Yemeni people.”

The visit also aims to bolster the reforms spearheaded by the PLC on various levels.

Al-Alimi hailed the “unique bilateral relations with the UAE that were established by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,” reported the state news agency Saba.

He also hailed the role played by UAE now under the “brave leadership” of President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to support the Yemeni people and its political leadership in recovering the state and ending the coup by the Iran-backed Houthi militias.



Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
TT
20

Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May in what will be the first foreign trip of his second term, with stops also planned in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

"It could be next month, maybe a little later," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Four sources briefed on the matter said mid-May was being looked at as the timing for the trip. Trump made Saudi Arabia and Israel the initial stops on his inaugural foreign trip during his first term in 2017.

Topics likely to be discussed include Russia's three-year-old war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza, one source said.

Saudi Arabia has played a prominent role in US foreign policy, including hosting US ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine.

"An opportunity for international travel for the president is something that is being looked at. We don’t yet have a specific plan, and we will provide that information when it is official," a White House official said ahead of Trump's remarks.