The Saudi government reiterated on Tuesday that the Kingdom “will not hesitate in taking the necessary steps and measures to confront any violation or threat to its national security.”
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.
The cabinet “reiterated its commitment to the security, stability and sovereignty of Yemen and its full support to Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi and his government.”
It regretted that “Saudi Arabia’s efforts to restore calm in Yemen were met with unjustified escalation that go against the foundations of the coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen.”
“The escalation does not serve efforts to achieve security and stability in Yemen and goes against all the pledges Saudi Arabia had received from the United Arab Emirates,” added the cabinet.
The cabinet expressed Saudi Arabia’s hope that “wisdom would prevail and that priority would be given to the principles of fraternity and good neighborliness and close relations between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members.”
It hoped that “the UAE would comply with the Yemeni republic’s demand that it withdraw its forces from the country withing 24 hours and that it would cease all military and financial support to the Southern Transitional Council and any other party in Yemen.”
It hoped that “the UAE would take the desired step to maintain bilateral relations between the two countries, which Saudi Arabia is keen on bolstering.”
The cabinet also reviewed regional and international developments.
It hailed the role of the coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen in protecting civilians in the Hadhramaut and Mahra governorates.
The cabinet renewed Saudi Arabia’s support to Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial unity, rejecting Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and warning that the move encourages separatist agendas that violate international law.
King Salman also briefed the cabinet on the message he received on Tuesday from Russian President Vladimir Putin that tackled bilateral ties between their countries.
