Saudi Arabia on Wednesday pledged 3.25 billion dollars worth aid for Yemen, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal told an international meeting focused on assisting the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, dpa reported.
"To ensure Yemen's security and stability, the kingdom will provide 3.25 billion dollars to support development projects there, which will be agreed upon with the Yemeni side," he told the Friends of Yemen meeting held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The Saudi official urged other nations to follow suit in assisting Yemen, which is facing a possible food crisis.
Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammad Basindawa called on other participants in the meeting to aid his country, which witnessed a popular uprising last year that eventually ended Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule.
Yemen, believed to be the key stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, suffers unrest in its south and north.
Twenty-seven countries, including the six oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the United States and Britain, sent representatives to the one-day Riyadh gathering.