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UN envoy to Yemen counts on Russia’s support in ironing out crisis

Russia’s support as a permanent member of the UNSC and its engagement in Yemen "is important to help us achieve a comprehensive, inclusive, sustainable and Yemeni-led political agreement," he noted

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has told TASS he expects that Russia will continue its constructive engagement in the efforts for settling the inter-Yemeni conflict.

On Monday, Griffiths met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Russian capital. "I had a very productive meeting with Mr. Lavrov. I am grateful for the continued support from Russia for my efforts and I welcome Russia’s constructive engagement in our endeavors to achieve peace in Yemen," the UN envoy said in an interview with TASS after his visit to Moscow.

Russia’s support as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and its engagement in Yemen "is important to help us achieve a comprehensive, inclusive, sustainable and Yemeni-led political agreement," he noted. "I very much appreciate this support and I look forward to our continuing engagement towards reaching a comprehensive and peaceful settlement to the conflict in Yemen," the diplomat stressed.

Armed confrontation between government forces and Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement 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. Along with Saudi Arabia, the coalition includes Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan and Sudan.

The conflict has entailed the most severe humanitarian crisis of today, with more than 24 million Yemenis, or about 80% of the country’s population, being in need of humanitarian assistance and the number of internally displaced people exceeding three million, according to the United Nations data.