Yemen Monitor/Newsroom
The Yemeni government announced on Tuesday a de-escalation of economic tension with the Houthis, and the cancellation of the recent measures taken by the Central Bank of Yemen against the six banks located in the areas controlled by the armed group.
The government welcomed, in a statement published by the official Yemeni News Agency, the statement issued by the UN envoy on the cancellation of recent decisions against a number of banks and the banking sector, the resumption of flights through Sana’a International Airport, and facilitating them to other destinations as needed.
The government said in its statement that the approval of the decision came in line with the principle of flexibility in implementing comprehensive economic and banking reforms, in response to the request of the national business community, and the efforts of UN, regional and international mediation.
It considered its approval to be an entry point to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, expressing its hope that the announced agreement will lead to creating favorable conditions for constructive dialogue to end all destructive Houthi practices against the banking sector, the economy and the national currency, and to fulfill the obligations contained in the roadmap, at the top of which is the resumption of oil exports.
The government praised what it described as the “good efforts” led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to reach this agreement.
The government reiterated its affirmation that economic reforms aim to protect the legal status of the state, enable the Central Bank of Yemen to exercise its exclusive rights in managing monetary policy, protect the banking sector and depositors, and reduce the disastrous consequences of the halt in oil exports on the national currency and the most vulnerable groups in all parts of the country.
Earlier, the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced that the Yemeni government and the Houthi group had informed him of their agreement on a number of measures to de-escalate in relation to the banking sector and Yemen Airways.
The UN envoy pointed out that “the agreement included canceling the recent decisions and measures against banks from both sides and stopping any similar decisions or measures in the future.”
The agreement also included the resumption of Yemen Airways flights between Sana’a and Jordan, increasing the number of its flights to three per day, and operating flights to Cairo and India daily or as needed.
The Central Bank in Aden had issued a decision to suspend the licenses of six of the country’s largest banks operating in areas controlled by the Houthi group after they refused to transfer their headquarters to Aden, while the Yemeni government issued a decision to transfer the headquarters of Yemen Airways to Aden.
