17th round of Yemeni-European Joint Committee held

SANA'A, July 13 (Saba) - The 17th
round of the Yemeni-European Joint Committee meetings held in here on Tuesday under
the
chairmanship of Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul-Karim
al-Arhabi.
At the meeting, al-Arhabi applauded the steady progress in the cooperation areas
between Yemen and European Union (EU), expressing the government's appreciation of
the EU
keenness to support the development and reform in Yemen.
He also reviewed the government's achievements in the field of national reform
agenda, accentuating the Yemen's determination to move forward in carrying out the
reform
agenda to realize the nation's national interests.
He briefed the European side on the efforts of the Yemeni and Gulf joint efforts to
rehabilitate Yemen to merge into the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The two sides reviewed a number of issues of common concerns, topped by the efforts
of Yemen to combat piracy acts in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden in addition to
Yemeni
endeavors to alleviate the Somali refugees' sufferings and the EU's assistance in
this regard.
They also talked about several subjects related to the European Commission
developmental priorities and the country program 2011 - 2013.
In this regard, the Minister affirmed the importance of taking into consideration
Yemen's priority needs and enhancing the available developmental aid channels.
FJ/AF