Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the former UN envoy to Yemen, stressed that his country considered any threat to the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries as a threat to Mauritanian national security. Ould Cheikh made his remarks on the sidelines of the eighth session of the ministerial meeting of Arab-China Cooperation Forum, which concluded on Wednesday in Beijing. In response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat regarding his opinion on the situation in Yemen, based on his experience as a former UN envoy, the Mauritanian foreign minister said: “We, in Mauritania recognize the legitimate government of Yemen, led by President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi; we encourage this government to reach a solution to the Yemeni issue, and we reject anything that threatens this government.” “The second point is that we reject any threat against Saudi Arabia, the UAE or the Gulf states. We consider any such threat as also targeted against Mauritanian national security,” he added. Ould Cheikh Ahmed touched on the role of international organizations in Yemen, saying that his country “fully supports the UN efforts to reach a peaceful solution based on Security Council Resolution 2216.”