Second Riyadh Meeting Reveals Limited Support for Yemen Coast Guard Plan
In a recent meeting of the international coalition—comprising the European Union, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—chaired by Abdu Sharif, the British ambassador to Yemen, the establishment of the Yemen Maritime Security Partnership (YMSP) was announced.
In a joint statement, the committee expressed support for the naval forces of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and confirmed its commitment to strengthening the Coast Guard’s maritime security, particularly in intercepting arms and narcotics shipments.
The formation of this committee follows the September 16 meeting in Riyadh, where these states, along with representatives from China, Australia and Persian Gulf countries convened. At that earlier session, Saudi Arabia and the UK sought to secure China’s and other nations’ backing for long‑term security commitments and capacity‑building of Yemen’s Coast Guard.
However, the second meeting revealed that only certain regional and Western allies joined the program. These are the same parties whose shipping and economies have suffered heavy losses due to Yemeni armed forces’ naval operations against Israel.
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