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Wednesday 14 October 2020

Online Meeting on the Yemeni Revolutions Anniversaries

Online Meeting on the Yemeni Revolutions Anniversaries Online Meeting on the Yemeni Revolutions Anniversaries

 
On October 14th, 2020, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies (Institute of Oriental Studies RAS) and Embassy of Yemen Republic in Russia commemorated the Anniversary of October the 14th 1963 Anti-Colonialist Revolution and September 26th 1962 Anti-Imami Revolution. An online presentation was held on "Russian-Yemeni Relations: 90th Anniversary", a book by Dr. Ahmad Salem Al-Wahishi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Yemen Republic to Russia .

The event was attended by ambassadors of Arab countries, Russian experts, students, and Yemeni civil activists.

Professor Vitaly Naumkin, the President of the Institute of the Oriental Studies, delivered an opening speech. He greeted the special guests from diplomatic missions and other participants. He noted that Russia had looked traditionally at revolutionary tendencies in Yemen with intent interest, starting with the late 1800s liberation movement against the Ottoman rule.

Considering the desire for freedom an inherent trait of Yemeni mentality, he concluded that on October the 14th, 1963, the day when liberation uprising in the country's South had started, Yemen's fate had taken a dramatic turn. Then he pointed out that the Kingdom of Yemen had become the second Arab nation after Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic relations with Soviet Union in 1928. The relations were developed further after the year 1955 and particularly after the two Yemeni revolutions the Republican states were founded. Also he stated that to that date every attempt to put Yemen under foreign control had failed.

Professor Naumkin congratulated Dr. Ahmad Al-Wahishi, His Excellency Ambassador of Yemen,  for the publication of his book and expressed his hope for peace in the war-torn country.

Ambassador noted the significance of the celebration of the Anniversary of the 14th October Revolution for the Liberation from colonialism and the 26th September Revolution to end the Imami rule. Then he said that both the 14th October and the 26th September Revolution Anniversaries were important for the Yemeni people who look with proudness at their sacrifices. He quoted the President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who gave speech on this occasion, and referred “to the implementation of a strategy to restore the functioning of state agencies and institutions and stressed the need to implement all the articles of the Riyadh Agreement as soon as possible”.

Ambassador continued and said: “We appreciate Russian support of the 14th October and the 26th September Revolutions and the fruitful Yemeni-Russia friendship, that has lasted for more than nine decades, and that was covered in the book in both versions, in Russian and in Arabic”.

Also as an author, Ambassador A. Al-Wahishi, thanked MGIMO-University for its help in translating and publicating the book. He told that the publication contained numerous new documents from the recently declassified archives. He also emphasized USSR and Russia's fundamental role in the formation of the modern Middle East by making the Sykes-Picot agreements publicly available and providing effective aid to many countries of the region including Yemen. Ambassador also mentioned that the recent initiative on collective security system in the Middle East by Russian Foreign Ministry had stirred up interest all over the Arab World.

Answering the questions of Russian diplomats and experts, His Excellency expressed gratitude for Russia's clear-cut regional policy towards the key issues, including the Palestinian problem, and all-round support of peace and reconciliation initiatives by M. Griffits, the UN Special Envoy in Yemen. He specifically stressed his belief that Russia could play a central role in the peace process in Yemen, and Russian business might use the partial national debt relief as a starting point for new economic projects in the country.

In the end of the Round Table Professor Naumkin thanked the participants and informed them on the Institute of Oriental Studies' willingness to host other meetings with diplomats of Arab countries in the future.