All news

Moscow supports UN efforts to settle Yemeni crisis — diplomat

Russia is looking into sending another batch of humanitarian aid to Yemen

MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. Moscow supports efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, towards the settlement of the situation in that country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary circulated on Thursday.

"According to information we receive, humanitarian situation in that country is steadily deteriorating as a result of an ongoing bloody domestic conflict in the Republic of Yemen," the ministry reports.

"We are still confident that only political settlement of the Yemeni crisis with regard for the interests of all social-political forces and groups of the population of friendly Yemen can really improve humanitarian situation," the commentary said.

"We support efforts of the UN secretary general’s special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who formulated some time ago the so-called roadmap for the Yemeni settlement," the commentary said.

"Acting in a dialog with different Yemeni and regional parties, as well as in cooperation with the UN, Russia, for its part, will continue active efforts towards the search for necessary negotiation solutions in political, as well as in security spheres," the ministry said.

"Moscow consistently seeks that the international community takes prompt action to ease a disastrous social-economic situation in the Republic of Yemen, to ensure unhampered humanitarian access to all regions of that country, an early lifting of sea and air blockades," Zakharova also said in the commentary.

"At the present time, we look into sending another batch of humanitarian aid to Yemen," the commentary said.

"United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien told a briefing at the UN Security Council on October 31 that more than 10,000 people have already been killed in armed hostilities," the report said.

"A total of 21.2 million of Yemen citizens, or 80% of the population, are in need of emergency aid," the commentary went on. "A total of 14 million people are undernourished and seven million people are on the verge of starvation death. The number of internally displaced people has exceeded three million, while the number of refugees has exceeded 30,000 people," it said.