DUBAI,— The United Arab Emirates expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts to maintain security and stability in Yemen and said it remains committed to backing peace and development in the country, the UAE Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Earlier this month, Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, or STC, a separatist group backed by Abu Dhabi, seized the headquarters of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government in Aden.

The STC has also asserted control over large parts of southern Yemen.

In a statement, the UAE foreign ministry said it reaffirms its “steadfast commitment to supporting all endeavors aimed at strengthening stability and development in Yemen.”

Saudi officials said Thursday they hope the STC will halt its recent escalation and pull back its forces from Hadramout and Mahra provinces in the east.

A joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation arrived in Aden on December 12 to discuss ways to reduce tensions.

Saudi authorities said the delegation was tasked with making “the necessary arrangements” to return STC forces to positions outside Hadramout and Mahra. They added that efforts are ongoing.

The STC originally joined the Saudi-led Sunni coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

However, the STC later turned against the government and has pushed for greater autonomy in southern Yemen.

Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, with the Houthis controlling the northern regions, including the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict forced the Saudi-backed government to relocate south. Yemen, strategically located between Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea shipping lanes, was historically divided into northern and southern states until its unification in 1990.

(With files from Reuters)

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