BANGKOK (Sputnik) – Russia believes an immediate international conference on the Yemen crisis should be convened in Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, the conference that was supposed to be held on May 28 was canceled and a new date hasn’t been named. We believe that such a conference with the participation of all the opposing parties should be immediately convened. We support UN efforts in organizing such a conference and it’s necessary to launch these types of talks as soon as possible,” Gatilov said.
Yemen has been engulfed in violence in recent months, with Shiite Houthi rebels forcing President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee and seizing large areas across the country, including the capital.
At Hadi’s request, a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia has launched airstrikes against the Houthi positions.
The UN-facilitated talks on Yemeni reconciliation were supposed to take place Wednesday, but the organization cancelled the event.
Russia has called for a political dialogue to resolve the conflict, with the participation of all political and religious groups.
