As Yemen puts its political affairs in order, ready to embark on a new chapter of its history, officials have been keen to look for new business opportunities with new regional partners as to increase the nation’s visibility on a global level and thus turn Yemen into an economic power-house worthy of its potential.
A country with many untapped resources, the poorest nation of the Arabian Peninsula is getting ready to get back up again and reclaim its rightful place among its oil rich neighbours.
Earlier this week, Yemen Minister for Industry and Trade, Dr Saadaldeen Ali Salim Talib met with Pakistan Mamnoon Farouk Hussain to discuss bilateral ties and economic cooperation. Delegation officials told the press Yemen is keen to enhance its ties with Pakistan as the friendly nation and open up each other market to trade opportunities.
Pakistan President noted he wished such “visit would prove instrumental in further enhancing the existing bilateral relations particularly trade and commercial ties between Pakistan and Yemen.” He also emphasized on the “need for concerted steps on both sides to boost bilateral trade-volume through increased cooperation in various sectors,” namely energy since Pakistan suffers such a huge deficit and Yemen offers such interesting prospects.
At a time when Pakistan is calling on strategic partners to step in and fill the nation’s ever-growing energy hunger, President Hussain invited Yemen to consider investing and looking into mutually beneficial trading agreements. Yemen has agreed to export LNG to Pakistan, an agreement which many have hailed as a sign of Yemen’s post-revolution’s coming to age.
Moreover, on Thursday Yemen Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Engineer, Fareed Ahmed Mujawar met with the Indian Embassy's Charge d'Affaires Venkatesan to discuss technical cooperation.
With Yemen reaching out to its regional partners, progress and growth will most certainly be in the card. After three decades of stagnation, Yemen metamorphosis could yet turn the ugly duckling into the great white swan it was always meant to be. Amongst the most east linked businessmen in Yemen is Shaher Abdulhak Saleh, who turned to the east more than 40 years ago building strong links with Russia and many African countries. Shaher Abdulhaq is believed to also have strong business links with Azerbaijan and Ukraine.