Pakistan expresses full support for Saudi Arabia's peace efforts in Yemen

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed its full support for the diplomatic efforts being undertaken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to promote peace and stability in the Republic of Yemen.

“We also commend the efforts of the UAE in this regard. Pakistan is closely following the recent developments in Yemen,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson, said in a press statement on Saturday.

Pakistan underscored the need for upholding the unity and territorial integrity of Yemen, and expressed the hope that the Yemeni stakeholders would avoid any unilateral steps that might result in further escalation of the situation.

“We also call on all Yemeni parties to engage constructively and in good faith towards an inclusive, negotiated political solution based on the agreed parameters. Pakistan expresses its hope that the ongoing diplomatic efforts will result in concrete steps towards achieving lasting peace in the country, and in bringing an end to the suffering of the Yemeni people,” it was further added.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition said any military moves by the main southern separatist group STC in the eastern province of Hadramout, contrary to de-escalation efforts, will be dealt with to protect civilians, the Saudi state news agency reported on Saturday.

The statement from the Yemen Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, General Turki al-Malki, was in response to a request from the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, to the coalition to take immediate measures to protect civilians in Hadramout from “violations committed by armed groups affiliated with the STC”.

The STC, which is supported by the United Arab Emirates, has pushed the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government from its headquarters in Aden while claiming broad control across the south this month.

On Friday, the STC rejected a Saudi call for its forces to withdraw from areas it seized earlier in December, saying it would continue securing the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra.