European Diplomat to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Current Intention to Open Our Embassies in Aden

A view of the downtown of the port city of Aden, Yemen October 31, 2019.
A view of the downtown of the port city of Aden, Yemen October 31, 2019.
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European Diplomat to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Current Intention to Open Our Embassies in Aden

A view of the downtown of the port city of Aden, Yemen October 31, 2019.
A view of the downtown of the port city of Aden, Yemen October 31, 2019.

At the present time, none of the European countries intends to open their embassies in the interim Yemeni capital, Aden, a European diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, affirmed that visits to Aden will continue in the coming period.

Two days ago, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak urged the ambassadors of the European Union to resume the work of their embassies from Aden, pledging to facilitate their tasks and overcome any difficulties they face.

“There is currently no intention for any European country to open its embassy in Aden,” said the European diplomat.

Several European ambassadors had visited Aden as part of a delegation led by the head of the EU mission in Yemen.

During the visit, the ambassadors met with Yemeni officials, representatives of civil society and human rights organizations. They were also briefed on development projects implemented by the EU in Aden.

Foreign diplomatic missions were forced to close their embassies and evacuate their staff from the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, after the terrorist Iran-backed Houthi militias overran it in September 2014.

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) is seeking to normalize conditions in liberated regions despite the difficult economic and living conditions the country is going through.

Since its establishment last year, the PLC has been trying to manage the country politically and economically, alleviate the suffering of citizens, and fight the terrorist Houthi militias on various fronts.

The Yemeni government recently opened the new headquarters for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Aden as part of its efforts to encourage foreign diplomatic missions to resume their work and provide services to Yemenis from within freed areas.

Although many international organizations have opened representative offices in the interim capital, diplomatic missions are still reluctant to take a similar step.



Iraqi PM Rejects Foreign Calls to Dismantle PMF

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)
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Iraqi PM Rejects Foreign Calls to Dismantle PMF

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad on Saturday. (Iraqi prime minister’s office)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stressed his rejection of “foreign dictates or pressure” calling for the dismantling of the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Speaking to state television, he said the PMF was turned into a state institution according to a 2014 law that was ratified by parliament.

“It is unacceptable to make demands and impose conditions on Iraq, especially when it comes to dismantling the PMF,” he declared.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had stirred controversy during a meeting with Sudani earlier this month when he called for dismantling the PMF and other armed factions.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi security and defense committee urged the recruitment of more soldiers to the army as Baghdad warily eyes the developments in Syria in wake of the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Iraq is bracing for a possible fallout from the ouster on its own country, especially with the possibility of the reemergence of the ISIS terrorist group.

The Defense Ministry is in need of 25,000 to 30,000 recruits, said the security and defense committee, noting that no new members have been recruited since 2017.

Sudani said his government was assessing the situation in neighboring Syria and will take the necessary measures as developments unfold there.

He stressed the need to help the Syrian people run their country’s affairs without any foreign meddling or infringement on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.