Foreign relations of Yemen

The country's relations with Saudi Arabia were defined by the Treaty of Taif[3] in 1934 which delineated the northernmost part of the border between the two kingdoms and set the framework for commerce and other interactions.

The Soviet and Communist Chinese Aid Missions established in 1958 and 1959 were the first important non-Muslim presence in North Yemen.

[4] Saudi Arabia aided the royalists in their attempt to defeat the Republicans and did not recognize the Yemen Arab Republic until 1970.

Ali Abdullah Saleh's foreign policy as the then-president of North Yemen was characterized by the principles of "positive neutrality" and Arab unity.

The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, the successor to British colonial rule, had diplomatic relations with many nations, but its major links were with the Soviet Union and other Communist countries.

There were military clashes with Saudi Arabia in 1969 and 1973, and the PDRY provided active support for the Dhofar Rebellion against the Sultanate of Oman.

Western and Persian Gulf Arab states reacted by curtailing or canceling aid programs and diplomatic contacts.

Since the end of that conflict, tangible progress has been made on the diplomatic front in restoring normal relations with Yemen's neighbors.

[129] Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 May 1993 when Mr. Ahmed Abdella al Basha presented his credentials as the Yemeni Ambassador to President of Eritrea Issaias Afwerki.

Following the first two decades of the Islamic Revolution, ties between Tehran and Sana'a were never strong, but in recent years the two countries have attempted to settle their differences.

[131] One sign of this came on December 2, 2003, when the Yemeni foreign ministry announced that "Yemen welcomes Iran's request to participate in the Arab League as an observer member.

Italy was in this era ruled by Benito Mussolini, who had arrested the reins of power in 1922, and his policy was based on conquest and expansion.

In 2013, the bilateral trade stood over U$200 million with the major import from Yemen such as seafood products, coffee, honey, leather and fruits while the export from Malaysia are the cooking oil which Malaysia consider as the biggest producers and exporters to Yemen and also to the Middle East.Both countries also has signed a joint commission and promote bilateral relations in higher education.

Since the outbreak of the Yemeni Civil War in 2015, Malaysia was added into the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to deter Houthis, though Malaysian involvement is minimal.

Now because of the ongoing Yemeni Civil War and the realignments of power in the Middle East with the emergence of al-Qaeda and the radicalization of some factions of Islam, Saudi Arabia has led a military intervention into Yemen.

[136] Additionally, Somalia maintains an embassy in Yemen, with the diplomatic mission led by Ambassador Ismail Qassim Naji.

Turkey and Yemen have a very long and deep historical ties, spanned from the Ottoman Empire to the modern era.

The country has been accused of backing local militias and separatist groups that have sought to gain more autonomy or independence from the central government.

Some critics have accused the UAE of using these groups to further its own interests in the region, rather than working towards a broader peace and stability in Yemen.

United Kingdom and Yemen have a long history of bilateral relations, dating back to the 20th century when the UK played a significant role in the region as a colonial power.

During the early years of the George W. Bush administration, relations improved under the rubric of the war on terror, though Yemen's lax policy toward wanted terrorists has stalled additional American support.

[141] Yemen desires to join the 24-year-old Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a sub-regional organization which groups Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman in an economic and security alliance.

Others assert that it is in the GCC's interest to assist Yemen and prevent it from becoming a failed state, lest its instability spread to neighboring Gulf countries.

Yemen received pledges totaling $4.7 billion, which are to be disbursed over four years (2007–2010) and represent over 85% of the government's estimated external financing needs.

Reportedly, Kuwait, still bitter over Yemen's support for Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War, has blocked further discussion of membership.

[140] Yemen has usually followed mainstream Arab positions on Arab–Israel issues, and its geographic distance from the conflict and lack of political clout make it a minor player in the peace process.

In the spring of 2008, President Saleh attempted to broker a reconciliation agreement between the competing Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.

[140] Yemen is a signatory to various international agreements on agricultural commodities, commerce, defense, economic and technical cooperation, finance, and postal matters.

[149] The French foreign ministry issued a statement saying, "Our ambassador decided on January 3 not to authorise any public access to the diplomatic mission until further notice.

[154] According to the BBC, Yemeni media say the embassy closures come after "six trucks full of weapons and explosives entered the capital, and the security forces lost track of the vehicles.