In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon His honest and trustworthy Messenger...

Free fighters of sisters and brothers, of all colors of the southern spectrum:

We salute you with pride and majesty, in the implementation of this blessed southern consultative meeting from the heart of the eternal capital of the south, Aden. A new era of struggle, and lay another brick in the course of strengthening the unity of the southern ranks, and strengthening its cohesion. Affirming the approach of dialogue as a civilized means to resolve issues and end political differences. Embodying the approach of reconciliation, tolerance, and southern solidarity, which constituted the solid foundation for launching the march of the peaceful Southern Movement revolution, and dispelling bets based on tearing our people apart and dispersing their fighting forces, as an entrance to weaken our mother cause, and preoccupy our people in marginal conflicts, from its ultimate goal of restoring and building its independent federal state on the borders of the two countries before May 1990.

Sisters and brothers present:

The holding of this meeting with the sixth anniversary of Aden Declaration on May 4, 2017, is a clear embodiment and strong confirmation of our commitment to what was expressed by the southern popular will on that historic day of a broad rally on the project to restore the state, which held me with a heavy responsibility to lead and represent the people of the south. You authorized me to establish a political entity to manage the affairs of the south, on the basis of the south for each and all its people, which was achieved by announcing the establishment of the Southern Transitional Council on May 11, 2017, which represented a cumulative effort of the struggles of our southern people with its peaceful and militant paths, which were charted by the peaceful southern movement and the Southern resistance. Since its establishment, the Southern Transitional Council has constituted a political carrier for the cause of the people of the south. Within a few years, it was able to carry it to advanced stages that strengthened the presence of the south and its national cause at various levels, and the cause became difficult to bypass or circumvent.

Sisters and brothers present: 

History will preserve a privileged position for you in its brightest pages, and future generations will testify that you were at the level of historical responsibility, and that you were worthy of the trust of your people. Indeed, you have proven that you are among the fighters steadfast on the pact, who lead the historical moments with courage and wisdom, putting the interest of their country and their people above all interest and consideration. Our people today are facing an important historical milestone, and an exceptional event to start a new and different phase that will make them more capable and stronger in facing challenges, more solid and steadfast in their struggle to reach their lofty goals and aspirations, for which they sacrificed the pure and abundant blood of thousands of the best heroes of the South.

All present:

This blessed crowd, which includes these brown faces who wrote with their blood and sweat the history of three decades of struggle in the arenas of struggle and fronts of sacrifice, in confronting the forces of invasion, domination and plunder, would not have come together, had it not been for the sincere efforts made by everyone without exception.

And we find it appropriate to salute with respect the great efforts made by the two Southern National Dialogue teams at home and abroad, who engaged in a long marathon of meetings and discussions with various southern national components that melted the ice and achieved consensus on most issues and dissertations to find common ground from which to start, to work according to the common denominators of all.

We also salute the unknown soldiers from the political and military leaders, researchers, sheikhs, social figures, businesspersons, media professionals, opinion writers, and civil society organizations who contributed and played great roles in order to strengthen the southern national alignment.

Free fighters, companions of the long journey:

What we are witnessing today confirms the credibility and seriousness of the orientations of the Southern Transitional Council since its establishment, as it pursued dialogue and affirmed its commitment and adherence, and the true desire to partner with all southern forces and components in order to defend the rights of our people and protect their gains.

Today, we renew our call for the continuity of dialogue with everyone. It is a firm position that we believe in and will not change, and we are all confident that everyone is up to the level of responsibility.

All present:

Over the past five years, the Southern Transitional Council has made strenuous efforts and broad movement at various levels, in which it has achieved many achievements and established a solid institutional structure to carry the goals of our people, manage their affairs, protect their gains, and achieve their aspirations.

And as an affirmation of our approach to work on developing and modernizing the organizational structure and institutional building of the Council, and involving everyone in the national action, we have worked during the past months, with the dialogue efforts, to restructure and expand the Council’s bodies and update its documents, with the aim of developing work mechanisms, absorbing non-member forces  benefiting from various effective southern competencies.

All present:

The stage is critical, full of important events and variables, in light of which the map of the future of our region will be drawn, which requires us to be at the level of its challenges, alert to any attempt to scatter efforts and waste energies on marginal disparities.

The confidence and hopes are great and broad that this meeting will conclude its deliberations with positive results, and will be a strong starting point that strongly supports the struggles of our people, strengthening its status and presence, and protecting its national cause from any targeting or confusion intended to undermine the aspirations of our people and its national gains.

Sisters and brothers:

There is no doubt that you are following the developments of the political process and the efforts of the international community to stop the war and start a comprehensive settlement process. In this context, we renew our position in support of the efforts of the brothers in the Arab coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the efforts of the international community led by the United Nations, aimed at stopping war and peace, recalling the importance of the issue of the people of the south as a basis for a solution and a key to sustainable peace. Affirming at the same time that our people will not allow any political, economic or military arrangements that affect the essence of their cause and national interests.

Sons of our struggling southern people:

We are aware of your suffering as a result of the repercussions of the war, the economic crisis, and the disruption of revenue institutions, which have exacerbated the humanitarian situation, and we assure you that your needs are our priorities, and we will always give our full attention. As the issues of addressing the economic situation, improving living conditions, and providing basic services in the governorates of the liberated south were at the forefront of our conditions for engaging in the partnership process emanating from the Riyadh Agreement and consultations. We are currently working within the framework of the Leadership Council and the parity government and in cooperation with a number of brotherly and friendly countries, at the forefront of which are the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in order to recover the deteriorating economic situation, and reduce the consequences of the crisis on the humanitarian situation.

Sons of our brave southern armed forces:

You are the support of the south and its impenetrable fence. We owe you the security and stability that has been achieved in the various governorates of the south. You are defending the homeland on the fronts of honor, heroism and redemption. We promise you that you will remain the focus of our attention and care, and we will work with all our efforts and capabilities to develop your capabilities and skills, organize your efforts and secure your needs.

We also pray for those who preceded us from the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to have mercy, assuring that we will remain loyal and steadfast in the principles for which they sacrificed, and we will never deviate from them.

In conclusion, we renew our greetings and congratulations to you for holding this meeting, hoping that it will produce the desired results that rise to the level of the aspirations of our people, and keep pace with the challenges of the present and the requirements of the future.

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah

Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi

President of the Southern Transitional Council

Supreme Commander of the Southern Armed Forces

Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council