Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mustafa Ahmed Al-Nu’man, said in an exclusive interview with Alhurra that discussions about Yemen’s accession to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) “are not new.” He explained that the idea has been raised repeatedly since the Council’s establishment and dates back to the period when Yemen was divided into two states, continuing even after unification.
In the interview, conducted by Alhurra on Friday, Al-Nu’man said: “It can be said that the idea of Yemen’s accession was natural, given geography and the historical and political ties and interactions between Yemen and the GCC states – especially with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman.”
Al-Nu’man linked this proposal to a broader context related to reorganizing Yemen’s relationship with its Gulf surroundings, noting that the obstacles that historically prevented this goal were primarily political and economic. He said: “Differences in political systems, and disparities in economic and development levels between Yemen and the GCC states, constituted a fundamental obstacle to achieving this accession.”
He added that talk of a project similar to a “Marshall Plan” for Yemen’s reconstruction remains contingent on a basic condition: reaching a comprehensive political settlement. He explained that “any economic project of this magnitude cannot be a substitute for a comprehensive political settlement; rather, it must be preceded by full security and political stability in Yemen, the actual and formal end of the war.”
Al-Nu’man stressed that Yemen’s accession to the Council “reflects a long-standing Yemeni desire,” while at the same time meeting “a Gulf and strategic need for the Arabian Peninsula in the present and the future.” He considered that raising the issue at the current stage “is not exclusively linked to the Saudi-Emirati relationship regarding Yemen; although it may intersect with it partially, it is neither the sole factor nor the main obstacle.”
His remarks came days after Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman, Rashad Al-Alimi, renewed his call to redefine Yemen’s relationship with its Gulf environment – moving from traditional coordination to a strategic partnership that would ultimately lead to broader integration within the GCC framework, with this path launching from Riyadh.
During a session organized by the Gulf Research Center in partnership with the International Crisis Group, Al-Alimi presented a vision for recovery based on institutional integration and geo-economic integration, culminating in a major reconstruction initiative modeled on the “Marshall Plan.” This would benefit from the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen and align with the visions of GCC states, foremost among them Saudi Vision 2030.
He acknowledged that full membership is not on the table in the near term, but called for expanding cooperation and gradual engagement with GCC institutions, considering Riyadh a pivotal partner in the path toward restoring stability.
According to international reports, Yemen has, since 2015, entered one of the world’s worst humanitarian and economic crises, marked by widespread infrastructure collapse, a sharp decline in GDP, the fragmentation of financial institutions across areas of control, and rising rates of poverty and unemployment.
Despite a reduction in the intensity of fighting since the truce announced in 2022 and the subsequent periods of informal de-escalation, the country continues to suffer from economic fragility and heavy reliance on external aid, while efforts toward a comprehensive political settlement remain incomplete.
In his remarks to Alhurra, Al-Nu’man pointed out that international experiences demonstrate the importance of prior preparation before any step toward full integration. He said: “There are necessary arrangements that must precede any potential accession, as seen in the experiences of the European Union, where Spain, Portugal, and Greece – and later the countries of Eastern Europe – were preceded by comprehensive economic and structural preparation processes and a broad distribution of development projects between the acceding states and the rest of the Union’s members.”
He concluded by emphasizing that a realistic path lies in gradualism and in tying any progress to internal stability, saying: “Yemen’s accession to the GCC is a necessary and important issue politically, economically, and socially, but it should take place at the appropriate time and through a gradual approach. We can begin with Yemen’s joining some of the Council’s affiliated organizations and bodies – such as youth and sports organizations, cultural organizations, and institutions concerned with education – as a first, preparatory step.”
He added that the Council’s name – “The Gulf Cooperation Council” – refers to states bordering the Gulf, which could open a future discussion about reconsidering the name or geographic framework should Yemen join, given that it is a state located on the Arabian Peninsula and represents strategic depth for the region. He concluded by saying that the issue remains “first and foremost linked to Yemen’s political, security, economic, and financial stability, and once these conditions are met, it will be possible to move to a gradual phase of activating accession within a long-term strategic vision.”
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Sakina Abdallah
A Saudi writer, researcher, and TV presenter
