Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has called for the soonest possible ceasefire in Yemen as Saudi Arabia continues its military aggression against the impoverished Arab country, the Russian Foreign Ministry says.
In a meeting between Bogdanov and Yemeni Charge d'affaires in Moscow Hassan al-Rai on Friday, the two officials exchanged views on the ongoing situation in Yemen and ways to settle the crisis in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It added that Bogdanov reaffirmed Russia’s call for an immediate end to hostilities and the resumption of dialogue in the presence of all Yemeni parties concerned.
"A number of aspects of Russian-Yemeni bilateral relations were also considered," the statement said.
Saudi Arabia launched its air campaign against Yemen on March 26 in a bid to restore power to fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said in a statement on Thursday that at least 519 people, including women and children, have so far lost their lives in two weeks of violence in Yemen.
She added that 1,700 people have also been wounded during clashes between rival groups in Yemen and in the Saudi strikes against the country.
SF/KA/SS