Saudi Crown Prince commends UAE's sacrifices in Yemen

Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised Riyadh Agreement and said he hoped it would usher in new period of stability in region

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - November 05, 2019: HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces (L) meets with HRH Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia (R), at the Saudi Royal Diwan.

( Hamad Al Kaabi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs )​
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday commended the sacrifices made by the UAE’s military operating alongside Saudi forces in Yemen.

Prince Mohammed made the comments during the signing of the Riyadh Agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council on Tuesday

He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

“And I commend the great sacrifices made by the UAE in the field of honour, along with our brave soldiers and their colleagues in the Coalition forces,” Prince Mohammed said.

"We have managed to achieve a lot for Yemen and for the security of the region. We have provided a lot of support and assistance to the Yemeni people out of our feelings of love and fraternity.”

He hailed the Riyadh Agreement, and said he hoped it would mark the start of a new phase of stability and development in the country.

“This agreement will open the door to wider understandings among the Yemeni components to reach a political solution that ends the Yemeni crisis,” Prince Mohammed said.

He said the agreement “protects Yemen against whoever wishes to harm all its components and all the peoples of our Arab nation".

“We would like to pay tribute to the response of Yemen's President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and the Southern Transitional Council to the kingdom's call to play host for the dialogue, and we praise the outcomes of the Riyadh Agreement."

He said Saudi Arabia would “remain by the side of Yemenis as it has always been”.

The Crown Prince underlined the kingdom's support for Yemenis, to whom he said Saudi Arabia was bound by strong ties.

“The kingdom's stances towards Yemen are as authentic as the authenticity of its dear people, with whom we share bonds of religion, brotherhood and neighbourhood,” Prince Mohammed said.

“Our prime concern since the onset of the Yemeni crisis has been to stand by the brotherly people of Yemen in response to a request made by the legitimate President of Yemen.

“Our stance has stemmed from the self-defence principle to put an end to all external interference aimed at creating a new fact by force on the ground and staging a coup against the state's legitimate institutions, while posing menacing threats to the security of Yemen's neighbours and the region's water passages before the very eyes of the entire world."

He said Saudi Arabia would “continue to work to help Yemenis realise their ambitions and restore their state by trying to reach a political solution to the crisis”.

Addressing the Yemeni people directly, Prince Mohammed said: "The kingdom will always be standing by you."