Egypt FM reiterates refusal to use Yemen as base to target Saudi Arabia

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reiterated his country’s “categorical rejection” of using Yemen as a platform to target Saudi Arabia and harm navigation in the Red Sea.

This came after Shoukry met with the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and discussed a number of issues including Cairo’s support for Yemen’s unity, sovereignty and independence.

“Shoukry wished that Grundberg’s endeavours would contribute to advancing a political solution in Yemen, as the best way to reach a comprehensive and sustainable settlement of the protracted Yemen crisis, based on agreed international references,” a statement by the Foreign Ministry said.

He also affirmed Egypt’s support for the UN envoy’s mission and for all regional and international efforts to achieve the desired settlement, it added.

READ: Yemen’s Houthis using Sanaa airport as military base, Saudi TV says 

For his part, the UN envoy briefed the Egyptian minister on the efforts being made to explore the prospects for moving towards resuming a comprehensive dialogue between the Yemeni parties.

Impoverished Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

The war, in which the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) back the Saudi-led coalition, has claimed the lives of more than 233,000 Yemeni and left 80 per cent of the population – about 30 million people – dependent on aid to survive, according to UN data.