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Egypt ‘won’t allow Yemen to become a platform for threats to the Middle East’

August 14, 2018 at 12:58 pm

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, 2 August 2018 [Egyptian President Office/Apaimages]

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi yesterday voiced his determination not to allow Yemen to become a platform for non-Arab forces that threaten the security and stability of the Arab world and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Al-Sisi made his comment during a press conference in Cairo with his Yemeni counterpart, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

“The security and stability of Yemen is of paramount importance not only for Egypt’s national security, but also for the whole region,” stressed the Egyptian leader. “We categorically reject that Yemen could become a foothold for the influence of non-Arab forces, or a platform for security and stability threats against the brotherly Arab countries or freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait.”

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Al-Sisi pointed out that his country continues to support the legitimate Yemeni government under Hadi’s leadership, in the face of the current challenges and attempts at destabilisation. Egypt’s commitment towards Yemen, he pointed out, is one of its foreign policy “fundamentals”.

The Egyptian President also expressed his deep concern about security in the Red Sea following a missile attack on two oil tankers by the Houthi rebels. The incident last month forced Saudi Arabia to suspend shipments of crude oil through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait. One vessel was damaged in the attack.