17 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Italy has decided to lift the ban on arms exports to the United Arab Emirates on Monday in the framework of progress towards a possible ceasefire in view of the steps that the parties are taking towards a peace agreement in the country.
“The commitment of the United Arab Emirates with other regional actors has progressed. Between 2015 and 2021, the Emirates allocated 5,500 million euros for the stabilization and reconstruction of Yemen,” the Government said in a statement after holding a Council of Ministers.
The Italian Government has affirmed that said commitment was repeated in 2022, with 500 million, as well as last November, with 1,500 million. “The scenario continued to evolve in a positive way: since April, military activities in Yemen have slowed down and diplomatic activity has accelerated significantly,” he added.
The recent normalization of diplomatic relations between the two great regional rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia, has opened a window of hope at the end of the conflict, given that Riyadh is the great ally of the Yemeni government recognized by the international community in the fight against Houthis, backed by Iran.
The war in Yemen has ended up plunging what was one of the poorest countries in the world into the worst humanitarian catastrophe at present, according to the United Nations. More than 21 million Yemenis – two thirds of the population – will need humanitarian aid this year and 17 million of them will need to receive it urgently to survive.
