PLC President Calls for Stronger European Support for Recovery and Houthi Deterrence

  Riyadh

President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council, received today, Tuesday, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen, Ms. Jeannette Seppen.

The meeting reviewed the distinguished bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and the promising prospects for expanding cooperation across all fields. It also discussed Yemen’s priority areas for Dutch support, particularly economic reforms, institutional capacity building, water management and modern irrigation projects, food security, agriculture, fisheries, and the development of ports and logistics services.

President Al-Alimi reaffirmed his deep appreciation for the Dutch government’s longstanding support for Yemen. He highlighted its active role within the European Union and its sustained humanitarian and development assistance over the past years as one of Yemen’s leading European partners.

He also expressed the Yemeni government’s aspiration for increased Dutch support for technical education and vocational training programs, as well as women’s and youth empowerment and job creation initiatives. He further called for Dutch support in rehabilitating hospitals and encouraging private sector investment and broader European business engagement in the liberated governorates.

The President listened to Ambassador Seppen’s assessment of her recent visit, together with the European delegation, to Marib Governorate, which hosts millions of internally displaced persons and bears significant humanitarian and development burdens. He expressed confidence that the visit would help strengthen European donor engagement in addressing the governorate’s pressing needs, particularly in infrastructure, basic services, and humanitarian relief.

President Al-Alimi also briefed the ambassador on the latest domestic developments and the progress of the comprehensive reform program being implemented by the Presidential Leadership Council and the government at the economic, administrative, and financial levels. He highlighted achievements in expanding women’s representation in executive, judicial, and diplomatic decision-making positions.

The meeting further addressed recent security developments and the grave human rights violations committed by the Houthi militias, including the continued arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of dozens of employees of United Nations agencies, international organizations, and diplomatic missions. The President also cited the militias’ ongoing military escalation, recruitment and mobilization campaigns, continued extortion of the international community, and threats to international waterways and regional security.

President Al-Alimi called on Yemen’s European partners to build on their principled support for the country by adopting more decisive measures, including joining the sanctions regime targeting the Houthi militias and their supporters, and strengthening efforts to halt the financial and military flows that enable the group to prolong the conflict. He stressed that deterring the Houthi project, backed by the Iranian regime, represents the genuine path toward ending the humanitarian crisis and restoring stability in Yemen and the wider region.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Yahya Al-Shuaibi, Director of the Presidency Office.