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The 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation addressed Houthi strikes on Saudi territory as part of its discussions on regional crises when it convened in Baghdad on October 17. OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha described the attacks as a flagrant violation of Saudi sovereignty and the sanctity of Islamic holy sites. The meeting followed a UN Security Council presidential statement issued October 15 that similarly condemned the escalating Houthi actions including strikes on Aramco facilities.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received phone calls from several counterparts who reiterated their nations’ condemnation of the Houthi militia’s targeting of civilian facilities and airports in the Kingdom, according to Saudi Press Agency reports. Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Sabah, the UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan all expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia during separate conversations earlier this month. The ministers stressed the importance of joint coordination to preserve regional security and stability.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi likewise conveyed their countries’ denunciation of the attacks in calls with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on October 6. Both officials affirmed Egypt and Jordan’s support for Saudi measures to protect its territory, citizens and residents while emphasising freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. The exchanges occurred against the backdrop of Houthi ballistic missile and drone strikes that have disrupted air traffic and targeted energy infrastructure.
Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Türkiye issued a joint statement following a consultative meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, according to a Saudi Press Agency dispatch. The group condemned all Houthi attacks on the Kingdom, backed Saudi Arabia’s right to self-defense under international law and the UN Charter, and called for safe maritime navigation. They additionally reaffirmed support for Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and a comprehensive political process to resolve the conflict.
The Gulf Cooperation Council Ministerial Council, at its 168th session in Manama on October 18, called for designating the Houthi militia as a terrorist organisation and halting all external support that enables its acquisition of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The GCC communique, issued after the meeting, condemned in the strongest terms the continued Houthi attacks on the Two Holy Mosques’ surrounding areas, civilian airports and vital facilities that have caused casualties and injuries. It demanded strict enforcement of the UN arms embargo on the Houthis and implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions on Yemen.
Houthi strikes on southern Saudi cities in early September wounded at least 73 people and affected energy sites, while subsequent attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and other civilian infrastructure, reports from the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen indicated. The OIC has maintained that such actions threaten peace efforts in Yemen and undermine international initiatives aimed at a negotiated settlement. Member states at the Baghdad session reiterated the need for preventive diplomacy to address these and other regional challenges.
