MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the month, media reported that the UK diplomat had accused Riyadh of abusing Islam and of waging "proxy wars." On Thursday, the UK Prime Minister's Office said that Johnson's statements about the policy of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East do not reflect London's position on the issue and the role of Riyadh in the region.
A number of Johnson's party fellows expressed support to the secretary's wordings on Riyadh's policy, saying that they reflected "the truth" and that London should warn its Saudi allies about "areas of difficulty" in bilateral relations, The Guardian newspaper reported Thursday.
According to the newspaper, such politicians as former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, as well as members of Parliament, such as Sarah Wollaston and Crispin Blunt supported Johnson.
Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthi rebels, which are the country’s main opposition force at request of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi despite a ceasefire agreement.
Johnson, former mayor of London, was appointed the new UK foreign secretary in July, soon after the resignation of David Cameron's cabinet following the Brexit referendum.
