Mr. Salem Thabet Al-Awlaqi, head of the National Southern Media Authority (NSMA), assisting the Presidium of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the official spokesman of the STC, received on Tuesday in his office in the capital, Aden, a Swiss media team consisting of journalist Daniel Simon Bochum and photographer Dominic Switzer.



Mr. Al-Awlaqi welcomed the visiting media team, who are in Yemen to learn about Aden's rich history, culture, and civilization, as well as to get an update on the current situation in Aden and the rest of the governorates of the South. Moreover, the team is interested in following the efforts to maintain security and stability and normalize the situation despite the exceptional circumstances the country is going through. Mr. Al-Awlaqi expressed his hope that the team will convey a positive image of what is happening in the South in all political, security, and economic aspects.



In response to questions from the media team, Mr. Al-Awlaqi reviewed the history of the South from British colonialism to the establishment of the independent state of the South on November 30, 1967. He also discussed the experience of the state and the subsequent unification with North Yemen in 1990. Mr. Al-Awlaqi highlighted the rich political, historical, cultural, and humanitarian heritage of Aden, Hadramaut, and all the governorates of the South.



Al-Awlaqi added: "We look forward to establishing our modern federal civil state that guarantees rights, freedoms, democracy, diversity, and justice in power, wealth, and equal citizenship within a federal system. We strive to achieve this goal by all peaceful means."



Regarding the situation in the country, Al-Awlaqi pointed out that the Houthi terrorist militia continues its criminal activities in areas under its control and on the borders of the South. The militia also carries out piracy at sea against international shipping lanes, calling on the international media to convey the true image and the terrorist nature of the Houthi militia by disseminating and documenting its criminal acts that are hostile to freedoms and human rights and by highlighting its threat to regional and international security due to its piracy activities in the Red Sea and its targeting of economic facilities in the South, which has resulted in difficult humanitarian and economic conditions.



In turn, the Swiss media delegation praised the facilities provided by NSMA to the delegation and expressed their satisfaction with the security stability and the civil situation witnessed in the capital, Aden, explaining the nature of the work of the media team, which is aimed at following up on the cultural and civil history of Aden and the current situation in the South after ten years of war, as well as monitoring the piracy reckless in the Red Sea caused by the Houthi terrorist militia.