Foreign Minister meets Canadian ambassador days after his country designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Shaye Al-Zindani, met today, Friday, with the Canadian non-resident ambassador to Yemen, Jean-Philippe Pinto, days after his country classified the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization.

This came during a meeting that brought them together in the Bahraini capital, Manama, on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue Forum 2024, and discussed ways to enhance and develop bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, at various levels, and developments in the Yemeni and regional situations, according to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba).

The Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated his welcome to the Canadian government's decision to classify the terrorist Houthi militias supported by the Iranian regime as a terrorist entity, expressing Yemen's appreciation for the Canadian government's position in supporting the Yemeni people in various fields, and its aspiration to develop and strengthen cooperation relations between the two friendly countries.

For his part, the Canadian ambassador affirmed his country's support for the efforts of the Presidential Leadership Council aimed at achieving peace and stability in Yemen.

He pointed out that Canada's classification of the Houthi militia as a terrorist entity under Canadian criminal law contributes to confronting these militias, whose threat has extended to maritime navigation, international trade, and security and peace in the region.

Pinto expressed the Canadian government's condolences to the Yemeni people for the killing of a number of innocent people in the Houthi terrorist attack on a market in the Maqbanah district of Taiz Governorate.

Last Monday, the Canadian government announced the designation of the Houthi group in Yemen as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code, indicating that the militia thus met the definition of a “terrorist group.”

"The Government of Canada has designated the Houthis as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code," Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, said in a statement.

The statement, published by the Ministry of Public Safety, stated that the Houthi militias contributed to the unrest in the Middle East through numerous attacks targeting civilian and naval vessels in the Red Sea and other waterways.

He noted that the Houthi group is also closely linked to Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and Hezbollah are both entities listed as terrorists in Canada.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Shaye Al-Zindani, arrived today, Friday, in the Bahraini capital, Manama, to participate in the twentieth session of the Regional Security Forum "Manama Dialogue".

According to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, Minister Al-Zindani will discuss, on the sidelines of his participation in the event, with a number of his counterparts, ministers and political figures, bilateral relations, developments on the Yemeni scene and issues of common interest.

It is worth noting that the Manama Dialogue Forum is considered the most important international forum held periodically in the Middle East region, jointly organized by the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Institute for Strategic Studies ( IISS ), and dedicated to exchanging views and ideas between senior figures and officials from the countries of the region and international specialists in foreign policy, defense and security affairs on contemporary and future issues related to regional and international strategic security.