26 June 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has launched development projects worth 1.2 billion Saudi riyals ($320 million) in Yemen's Hadramout region, a Yemeni official announced yesterday, Anadolu news agency reported.
The Undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information, Muhammad Gezan, said: "The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen has launched a package of development and vital projects and programs in Hadramout, with a value exceeding 1.2 billion Saudi riyals ($320 million)."
Gezan thanked the kingdom and those in charge of the programme, including Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Muhammad Al Jaber.
Accompanied by a Saudi delegation, the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, arrived in Hadramout on Saturday, for the first time since taking office in April 2022.
The Saudi support comes at a time when the Yemeni economy is facing severe repercussions caused by the continued halt in oil exports from ports under government control, following attacks launched by the Houthi group.
The Yemeni government has repeatedly announced that it has incurred losses of more than $1 billion due to the halt in oil exports, and appealed to the international community to quickly support it in overcoming its financial pressures.
Hopes for peace have renewed among Yemenis since Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume diplomatic relations, ending a seven-year estrangement.
