Russia deputy foreign minister, Saudi ambassador discuss settlement of Yemeni conflict

MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Russian president’s Middle East and Africa envoy and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who met with Saudi Ambassador to Moscow Abdulrahman al-Rassi, stressed the necessity of the soonest settlement of the conflict in Yemen by peaceful means, the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. "The sides exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East with a focus on the developments in Yemen," the ministry said after the meeting that was initiated by the Saudi diplomat. "The Russian side stressed the necessity of the soonest settlement of the conflict in Yemen exclusively by peaceful means through an inclusive United Nations-brokered national dialogue." "The two diplomats also discussed bilateral relations and reiterated both countries’ commitment to strengthen foreign policy cooperation in international and regional affairs and to further develop cooperation in the trade-and-economic and other spheres," the ministry noted. Apart from that, Bogdanov met with the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Omar Ghobash. "The sides discussed a number of current issues of the development of Russian-UAE relations, including maintaining political dialogue," the ministry said. "They also exchanged views on key aspects of the regional agenda, including the situation in Yemen." Read more