The United Nations and Russia expressed concerns over the negative impact of the escalation in the Persian Gulf on the peace process in Yemen, engulfed in an armed civil conflict since 2015, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday following talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2019) The United Nations and Russia expressed concerns over the negative impact of the escalation in the Persian Gulf on the peace process in Yemen, engulfed in an armed civil conflict since 2015, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday following talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths.Griffiths is currently in Russia with a visit, scheduled to last from July 1-7.
"During the meeting, the military and humanitarian situation in Yemen was discussed with a particular focus on the implementation of agreements reached during the intra-Yemeni consultations under the auspices of the United Nations in Sweden in December 2018, and reaching a comprehensive settlement ... The sides have expressed concern over the negative impact of the escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf on the Yemeni peace process," the ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov confirmed his support for the activities of Griffith, the statement added.
The armed conflict in Yemen between government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthis has been ongoing since 2015. The United Nations has repeatedly called the Yemeni conflict the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 24 million people - over 80 percent of the country's population - currently in need of aid.
Last December, the conflict parties attended UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden and concluded a ceasefire agreement, covering the port city of Al Hudaydah, exchange of prisoners and establishment of humanitarian corridors.
