MOSCOW, April 11. /TASS/. Moscow intends to continue urging the sides of the Yemen conflict to display a constructive approach and readiness for compromises during discussions of existing disagreements, Russian Foreign Minister said in an interview Sunday.
"We intend to keep supporting the efforts of the UN Secretary General Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffits, as well as keep urging Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the leadership of the Houthi Ansar Allah movement to exercise a constructive approach and readiness for compromises when discussing the existing disagreements," he said.
Lavrov noted that settlement in Yemen was one of the topics of discussion during his recent negotiations with the Persian Gulf states’ leadership between March 9 and 11.
"We closely follow the development of the situation in the country, where an acute military-political crisis has been going for six years already. We are especially concerned about the restored hostilities between the Houthis and the forces loyal to the President in the Marib province," the top diplomat said.
According to the Minister, the agreement, achieved in December 2020 with Saudi mediation, on the establishment of a new coalition government by the President and the Southern Transitional Council has become an important step towards stabilization of the situation in Yemen’s south. Lavrov reminded that Russia publicly welcomed the abovementioned agreements.
"We expressed our hope that their implementation would lead to increase of public security level, would make it possible to focus on solving social and economic problems in this part of Yemen, and would create favorable conditions for initiation of talks between the united delegation of official Yemeni authorities and the Southern Transitional Council with the Ansar Allah movement’s leadership regarding the country’s future political system," the top diplomat continued.
"We urge the sides of the Yemeni conflict to abolish violence and to embark on a path of peaceful resolution of existing disagreements. The recent Saudi Arabia’s initiative is aimed at the political resolution, we welcomed it," the Minister added.
The abovementioned resolution implies, in particular, the reopening of the Yemeni capital Sana’a airport for international and regional flights and ease of the blockade of the port of Hudaydah.
Moscow believes that a lasting peace could only be achieved with adequate consideration of interests of all lead Yemeni powers, Lavrov underscored.
"This implies the establishment of a wide national dialogue, complete withdrawal of naval, air and ground blockade of the country, and implementation of other urgent practical steps in social, economic and humanitarian spheres," the top diplomat underscored.