On December 6, Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, now paying a working visit to Riyadh, was received by President of the Republic of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. On December 7, he met with Vice President of the Yemen Republic Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi, as well as with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

During their candid conversations, the sides focused on the armed conflict in Yemen that has flared up in the past few days. The Russian side called for ending violence as soon as possible and for preventing actions that escalate tensions in Yemen further. They noted the danger of the fratricidal conflict’s subsequent spread, as this might plunge the Republic of Yemen into complete military-political chaos and place its people on the verge of an irreversible humanitarian disaster.

They also noted the unacceptability of any behind-the-scenes deals and ill-conceived plans for Yemen that, in the long run, only aggravate negative developments around the country. In this context, they underscored the fact that there was no alternative to resolving the protracted crisis in the Republic of Yemen through all-inclusive dialogue with active UN mediation. This dialogue is called on to find such a solution to end the intra-Yemen standoff that would suit all political forces involved in it.