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World

Saudi defence minister invites UAE vice president to kingdom in first public olive branch since Yemen rift

Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman has invited UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit the kingdom on Tuesday, the first publicly announced invitation for a face-to-face meeting since the two fell out over Yemen.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 1 min read

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister
Austrian Foreign Ministry / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Saudi Arabia’s defence minister has invited the UAE’s vice president to visit the kingdom on Tuesday, the first publicly announced invitation for a face-to-face meeting since a rift between the two countries over Yemen, Reuters reported.

Prince Khalid bin Salman extended the invitation to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Presidential Court. The Saudi defence ministry announced it in a statement on X, according to Geo News, which cited the ministry’s text.

UAE state news agency WAM said Sheikh Mansour will travel to the kingdom on a “fraternal visit” upon the invitation, without giving further details.

The UAE withdrew from Yemen earlier this year after Saudi Arabia accused it of backing a military operation by Yemeni separatists that Riyadh said posed a national security threat.

The invitation comes as the kingdom faces increasing pressure from the Iran-backed Houthis, who have fired salvos of missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has been rallying international support to confront them, and the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks on Friday on supporting the kingdom.

Officials of both countries had already signalled closer ties in July with posts about friendship and unity, a rapprochement after their public falling-out in December, when the kingdom accused Abu Dhabi of backing southern Yemeni separatists who staged a brief offensive. The two have also been at odds over foreign policy from Yemen and Sudan to the Horn of Africa, backing rival forces.

Sources

More on this topic: all World stories

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