Almotamar.net - The Political Advisor to President of the republic Dr Abdulkarimn al-Eryany said Sunday the relation of Yemen with the Horn of Africa region is very deep in history and planted in the course of the present and related to reactions that form the future.

Al-Eryany added that every event occurs at on one bank of south Red Sea influences the dual geostrategic existence of Yemen and the states of the horn of Africa. In the opening of a symposium on Yemen and the Horn of Africa organized today by Sana’a University in cooperation with the French Cultural Institute, Dr al-Eryany also called for the necessity of studying the situations in the Horn of Africa and the issues emerging on surface for what they represent of an important turning point in the history of the region as a whole.

He said , “ Convening of this symposium comes under what the region is witnessing of emergence of the so-called phenomenon of piracy in its traditional form alongside with present of a large number of fleets from different countries,” confirming the dire need of holding more than one meeting to study the reality of what is happening in this part of the world as it is considered among the most important navigation parts of the world and conflict in it and for it extends deep in history and sometimes takes the legendary form surpassing the reality of history and geography.

On the Yemeni foreign policy towards the Horn of Africa al-Eryany said it has been characterized by direct influence especially with the domestic conflict in that region. The changes that occurred in Ethiopia and Eritrea led to migration of large number of people from those countries to Yemen as the similar matter is currently happening in Somalia. He said statistics show Somalis migration by hundreds of thousands to Yemen reaching the Yemeni shores in unsafe circumstances and so many of them face death.

Dr al-Eryany also said Yemen did not abandon its humane and ethical role regarding those issues and more than that sometimes Yemen has made issues of the Horn of Africa at the top of its foreign policy and presented the Somali issue in many international forums. He said such an objective fact of the danger of neglecting Somalia and what is happening in it cannot be ignored.

Al-Eryany added, “ We hope the symposium would come out with a correct understanding of the issue of piracy as it is an old and new issue emerges as phenomenon at certain historical moments because certain political forces want it to be like that and because that achieves for them certain political and strategically purposes,” expressing his hope if the symposium would answer the question of whether the naval military massing up in this part of the world would solve the question of piracy or would awaken historical fears that it produce actual piracy threatening the whole world. He also queried whether the international community would help the countries overlooking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to play their role for making the area safer and more stable for their interest and that of the international community as a whole.

Al-Eryany also talked about Yemen’s peaceful approach in solving disputes and gave an example of solving the dispute with Eritrea over the island Hunaish.