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Russia coordinating efforts towards Yemeni settlement with US, Saudi Arabia

Two extraordinary meetings of the Security Council five permanent members had been dedicated to the Yemeni crisis, Russian Ambassador to Yemen Vladimir Dedushkin said

GENEVA, September 7. /TASS/. Moscow is coordinating its efforts towards settlement of the Yemeni conflict with Washington and Riyadh, Russian Ambassador to Yemen Vladimir Dedushkin said on Friday.

"Along with Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia are among the key external political players in Yemen," he said. Naturally, it will be next to impossible to get the Yemeni settlement moving without their position and without their good will. That is why we are coordinating our efforts with the Americans within the United States Security Council."

He noted that two extraordinary meetings of the Security Council five permanent members had been dedicated to the Yemeni crisis. "We speak with them [US representatives] both directly and within the five-lateral format. Generally, we manage to find common language and are trying to reach a compromise," the Russian diplomat said.

"As for Saudi Arabia, there are no problems with it. Our relations with this country are developing successfully. The Saudi King has recently visited Russia, many agreements have been signed," he said, adding that he maintains regular contacts with the Saudi side, including with the Saudi ambassador to Yemen.

"We are working in close contact," Dedushkin stressed.

Dedushkin is in Geneva to attend consultations on Yemen convened with the mediation of United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths. Since Thursday, the UN envoy has been holding meetings with the Yemeni government delegation. The other party to the conflict that was invited for the Geneva consultations, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, has not yet arrived in Geneva, bringing the consultation to the brink of breakdown.

Armed confrontation between government forces and Ansar Allah groups has been going on in Yemen since August 2014, reaching the most active phase in March 2015 after the Saudi-led coalition invaded the country.