Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed, left, shakes hands with Omani Interior Minister Saud Al-Bousaidi after signing documents related to border agreement in Muscat on Tuesday. (SPA)

MUSCAT: Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed on Tuesday called upon GCC countries to provide all-out support to Yemen — which is facing an armed insurgency from Houtians in the north — in order to strengthen the Arab country’s security and create stability.

Addressing a meeting of GCC interior ministers in the Omani capital, Prince Ahmed also called for non-interference in Yemen’s affairs by outside forces. “Establishing excellent security relations among countries of the region including Iran demands mutual respect and cooperation and non-interference in internal matters,” he said.

Prince Ahmed also spoke about major security challenges facing the region, more importantly terrorism, which threatens the achievements of countries in the region.

“Coordinated GCC and international efforts are required to root out terrorism,” he said. “Preserving the security and stability of GCC countries is a joint responsibility,” the prince said, urging all ministers to take necessary precautions and exert all possible efforts to exterminate terrorism.

Prince Ahmed also urged member countries that have not yet signed the GCC security agreement to sign it as quickly as possible. He said different members of society — including parents, teachers, religious scholars, writers and media persons — should join the campaign against terrorism.

He also referred to the recommendations of a meeting of Iraq’s neighbors in Sharm El-Sheikh, which called for protecting the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq.

Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, who attended the Sharm El-Sheikh meeting, urged countries neighboring Iraq to stand with it in its fight against terrorists destabilizing the country. He stressed the need to identify problems facing the war-torn country and adopt appropriate decisions to solve them without interfering in its internal affairs. The Sharm El-Sheikh meeting was attended by interior ministers from Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Kuwait and Jordan in addition to representatives of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League.

GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah also underscored the efforts of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council to confront terrorism.

Meanwhile, Prince Ahmed and Omani Interior Minister Saud Al-Bousaidi signed minutes of a meeting of Saudi and Omani border authorities. “We hope that the signing of these documents would contribute to completing measures related to the two countries’ borders,” Prince Ahmed said. The signing ceremony was attended by top officials from both countries.