(WASHINGTON, DC) - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia affirmed its support for the government of Yemen at the High Level Conference on Yemen in London, convened January 27 by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The conference, which was attended by more than 61 countries and a dozen organizations, intends to address strategies to stabilize and ensure peace in Yemen.

“We are all gathered here to declare very clearly our friendship to Yemen, our commitment to helping Yemen, and our determination to be partners with Yemen. The international community fully and strongly supports all the efforts of Yemen to consolidate its unity, maintain its stability and security, achieve its development and prosperity, and strengthen its capability and capacity,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. “With the international community standing united in support of Yemen, we are confident that Yemen will be able to overcome all the challenges facing it today, so that the people of Yemen can enjoy the levels of security and prosperity they deserve.”

Attendees to the London conference from the Kingdom included Prince Saud, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, and Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir. The Yemen meetings dealt with ways to consolidate international support, coordinate assistance efforts, and reach agreements on helping the country in its political and economic reform efforts.

“It remains important for the international community to support the government of Yemen, which is best equipped to effectively address the internal challenges currently confronting it,” said Ambassador Al-Jubeir.

Also at the conference the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will host a meeting of Gulf and other international donors on Yemen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in February.

Quoting Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, Prince Saud added, “‘Faith is Yemeni and wisdom is Yemeni.’ Yemen is a country of ancient civilizations and very proud and pioneering people, and we have every faith in the wisdom of our Yemeni brothers to overcome the current challenges they face.”