President Al-Zubaidi Attends Celebration Event Organized by Southern Community in Buffalo, New York, Rochester, and Canada in Honor of 2nd Visit to USA

President Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Vice Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), attended the Friday evening celebration event of the Southern community in Buffalo and throughout New York City, Rochester, and Canada, on the occasion of honoring his excellency's second visit and the delegation accompanying him to the USA, amidst a warm welcome from the Southern community.

President Al-Zubaidi delivered a keynote address at the celebration event, the full text of which is as follows:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

All praise is for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. May the praise of Allah and His peace be on Prophet Muhammad [PBUH], his family, and Companions.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the South, from Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, and Canada:

It is a pleasure to meet you all again today, a year after our last meeting during our previous visit to the United States. We are immensely proud of the vibrant national spirit of the South that you have been expressing through your eagerness to attend this fraternal gathering to speak heart-to-heart about what matters to our homeland, our people, and our cause, and about the significant hard-won gains and victories achieved on the path to restoring our state of the South.

I would wholeheartedly like to begin by extending my warm greetings to you and conveying the feelings of pride and all respect that the people of the South hold for your esteemed national stances. Your support for the Southern Revolution since the trigger of the peaceful Southern Movement, through all stages of resistance culminating in the liberation of the governorates of the South in 2015, and ongoing efforts to build state institutions of the South, particularly the valiant military and security forces, reflect your steadfast and conscious role as ambassadors of your Southern homeland abroad, especially in one of the world's most significant decision-making centers.

Distinguished colleagues and esteemed fellows,

Since our last meeting, the past year has been a whirlwind of developments and triumphs, and the battlefield continues to witness daily victories in defense of the South against the forces of evil, represented by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia and their allies, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. As you are well aware, our Armed Forces showcase the unwavering bravery with ultimate sacrifices every day.

All the attendees:

We are visiting the USA today in light of the continued political and diplomatic successes of the South, through which we will definitely be keen, as usual, that the cause of our people of the South be present in our meetings and discussions with representatives of the international community, stressing the need to respect the sterling will and ultimate sacrifices of our people, and that we will not accept half-solutions that fail to meet our aspirations to achieve freedom and independence as a noble goal for which trains of martyrs and wounded sacrificed their precious souls. Indeed, this is what I clearly highlighted in my briefing before the UN Security Council and in all my meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79).

Ladies and gentlemen, 

In the period preceding 2021, the United States and its regional allies, in partnership with us, focused on countering the Houthi militia and preventing them from seizing control of the entirety of our homeland. Concerted efforts were made to undermine their capabilities, culminating in former US President Donald Trump's landmark decision to designate the Houthis as global terrorists and a foreign terrorist organization.

We have seen that the policy of appeasement pursued over the past four years has proven to be backfired. It is clear that the US and regional powers' strategy towards the Houthis is no longer tenable or sufficient. We now require the United States' support in countering a brutal enemy that undermines the global system.

The Houthi terrorist militias understand only the language of force; we are well-prepared to show this might, but without the support of the United States and other international powers, as it is imperative that the United States and the international community provide the required support to prevent a wider global crisis orchestrated by the Houthis with blatant Iranian backing.

As you know, the Houthis have caused unprecedented disruptions to global maritime trade, particularly in the Red Sea, and without a comprehensive and collaborative international, regional, and local strategy, there will be nothing to prevent them from dramatically escalating their actions and further threatening levels during the coming period.

Any attempt by the terrorist group in our region to push the international community into a global recession cannot be allowed to continue any more. Therefore, we must end the threats and risks posed by this group, and show them and their backers in Tehran that the world will never tolerate their heinous acts. This is the only path towards true calm, and it is the only way to give our people a chance to build a safe future free from the grip of extremist terrorists.

Generous gathering:

We are well aware of the feelings of anxiety that afflict our people both inside and outside the Southern homeland over the delay in achieving national aspirations while our people at home continue to face hardships due to the deteriorating services, soaring prices, and the collapsing local currency, and the STC is working diligently within the PLC, the government, and in coordination with the brothers in the Arab coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates through their fraternal positions to discuss these issues and find urgent solutions to them.

Surely, we remain committed to further developing and restructuring the Southern Military and Security institutions through unification, capacity building, and preparation to counter the challenges and threats targeting our homeland and people.

Brothers and sisters, 

We highly applaud the role of our brothers and sisters of the people of the South in New York and across the United States, and in every corner of the globe. Verily, we emphasize the importance of their unwavering support for their homeland and call upon them—and we are truly confident they will do so—to be the best ambassadors for their homeland abroad and to strive to embody the values of fraternity and cohesiveness among themselves, for in this lies a source of strength and influence for them in their new communities, as well as a powerful influence on their positive stances towards their homeland.

In closing, we reiterate our pleasure in this gathering.and hope that this meeting will serve as a mark for greater cohesiveness, solidarity, and integration among our people of the South, both at home and in the diaspora.

All the best and peace, mercy, and the blessings of Allah be upon you,