TAIZ — The Al-Sa’eed Foundation for Science and Culture held a ceremony on Thursday in which it bestowed the Award for Sciences and Arts on winners of the 15th annual Haj Hayel Saeed Anam competition.

Yemen’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Salem Basindwa, attended the ceremony along with several government members, intellectuals and the media.

At the ceremony, the prime minister declared that the Yemeni Government plans to name Ta’iz as Yemen’s cultural capital in the coming days.  

“The revolution sparked in Taiz; the city has all the qualities of a developed society, and there are many cultural associations in Taiz, like Al-Saeed Foundation. It deserves to be Yemen’s cultural capital,” said the prime minister.

He said that the Yemeni cabinet held a special meeting today in Ta’iz to discuss the dire needs of Ta’iz governorate and to implement appropriate responses as soon as possible.

“The security situation in Ta’iz has improved since the appointing of Shawqi Hayel, Taiz’s new governor, and the people of Ta’iz support him almost universally,” he added.

The prime minister urged political parties, the media, government associations and civil society organizations to cooperate with Governor Hayel in making Ta’iz safer because its stability is central to the stability of the entire country.

He demanded that all Yemenis work together to make the National Dialogue Conference succeed, as he feels it is the only way out of the current political impasse.

For his part, Abduljabbar Hayel Saeed, a member of the board of directors of Al-Saeed Foundation, affirmed that Al-Saeed Foundation will continue its contribution to Yemen through supporting scientific research and talented Yemenis.

At the end of the ceremony, Al-Saeed Foundation honored the prime minister for his efforts in supporting stability in Ta’iz and Yemen overall.

For his part, Dr. Abdullah Aobal, the Yemeni Minister of Culture, honored Al-Saeed Foundation for its reward of talented and gifted Yemenis involved in culture and sciences.

Shawqi Hayel said that security is critical in undertaking and completing new economic and cultural projects in Ta’iz.

“We have to use the media to spread awareness among the residents of Ta’iz of the importance of putting down guns, stopping the use of violence and starting the national dialogue so that the civil state can prosper,” he added.