Editing Foreign relations of Yemen (section)

===North Yemen===
The [[geography of Yemen|geography]] and ruling [[Imams of Yemen|Imams]] of [[Kingdom of Yemen|North Yemen]] kept the country isolated from foreign influence before 1962.<ref>Long, David E.; Reich, Bernard (1995). ''The government and politics of the Middle East and North Africa.'' Westview Press (3rd edition). p. 153. {{ISBN|978-0-8133-2125-7}}.</ref> During the 1920s, the government of Yemen forged relations with the Italian government under [[Mussolini]], which led to the [[Italo-Yemeni Treaty]] on September 2, 1926.<ref>Text in ''League of Nations Treaty Series'', vol. 67, pp. 384-391.</ref> This gave the Sana'a government diplomatic support vis-a-vis the Saudi government, which had aggressive designs on Yemeni territory. The country's relations with [[Saudi Arabia]] were defined by the [[Saudi-Yemeni war (1934)#Treaty of Taif|Treaty of Taif]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/pol/int1.htm |title=The Treaty of Taif, 1934 |access-date=2012-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205002149/http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/pol/int1.htm |archive-date=2012-02-05 }}</ref> in 1934 which delineated the northernmost part of the border between the two kingdoms and set the framework for [[commerce]] and other interactions. The Taif Agreement has been renewed periodically in 20-year increments, and its validity was reaffirmed in 1995. Relations with the [[United Kingdom|British]] colonial authorities in [[Aden]] and the south were usually tense.

The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and [[People's Republic of China|Communist Chinese]] Aid Missions established in 1958 and 1959 were the first important non-[[Muslim]] presence in North Yemen. Following the [[North Yemen civil war]], the [[Yemen Arab Republic]] became closely allied with and heavily dependent upon [[Egypt]].<ref>Ismael, Tareq Y.; Ismael, Jacqueline S.; Jaber, Kamel Abu (1991). ''Politics and government in the Middle East and North Africa.'' University Press of Florida. p. 427. {{ISBN|978-0-8130-1043-4}}.</ref> Saudi Arabia aided the royalists in their attempt to defeat the Republicans and did not recognize the Yemen Arab Republic until 1970. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia provided Yemen with substantial budgetary and project support. At the same time, Saudi Arabia maintained direct contact with Yemeni tribes, which sometimes strained its official relations with the Yemeni government. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis found employment in Saudi Arabia during the late 1970s and 1980s.

[[Ali Abdullah Saleh]]'s foreign policy as the then-president of North Yemen was characterized by the principles of "positive neutrality" and Arab unity. Under Saleh, Yemen cultivated close ties with Saudi Arabia and other pro-West states in the region. He also purchased military equipment from the United States and expanded economic relations with the West. At the same time, Saleh also tried to maintain friendly relations with the then-Soviet Union (which broke apart in 1991). In October 1984, he renewed the treaty of Friendship and Cooperation that was originally signed in 1964 by San'a and Moscow.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/World-Leaders-2003/Yemen-FOREIGN-POLICY.html#ixzz1ZMt9GQKP|title=Foreign policy - Yemen -}}</ref>

In February 1989, North Yemen joined [[Iraq]], [[Jordan]], and Egypt informing the [[Arab Cooperation Council]] (ACC), an organization created partly in response to the founding of the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] and intended to foster closer economic cooperation and integration among its members.<ref>Dresch, Paul (2000). ''A history of modern Yemen.'' Cambridge University Press. p. 181. {{ISBN|978-0-521-79482-4}}.</ref> After unification, the Republic of Yemen was accepted as a member of the ACC in place of its YAR predecessor. In the wake of the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf crisis]], the ACC has remained inactive.