Russia calls for soonest truce in Yemen - foreign ministry

MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, the presidential special representative to the Middle East and Africa, and Yemen’s temporary Charge D’affaires in Moscow Hasan Mohammad al-Rai underscored urgency of the soonest ceasefire in Yemen at their meeting on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The settlement of the Yemen crisis was discussed at the meeting, including in the context of the consultations on Yemen under the UN auspices underway in Geneva," the foreign ministry said. "The Russian side has accentuated urgency to end the hostilities in the Republic of Yemen and to put on track the national dialogue with participation of all key Yemeni political forces." Since August 2014, Yemen has been suffering from a severe political and security crisis. In late January 2015, armed groups of Ansar Allah (Houthi rebels) seized the country’s capital city of Sana’a and forced President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the government to announce resignation. The president tried to hide in the port city of Aden but after the Houthi rebels seized this city on March 25 he had to flee the country. After Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi called for help from the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia’s air force supported by aviation of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates launched an operation Decisive Storm against the Houthis on March 26. Later, this operation was followed by another one, Renewal of Hope. Read more