Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry (Photo: Ahram)
Egypt's foreign ministry lauded the efforts of Saudi Arabia to support the path of a political solution in Yemen, a few hours after the Gulf state presented a new framework to expedite the implementation of the stalled Riyadh Agreement aiming to end the crisis in Yemen.
In an official statement on Wednesday, the Egyptian foreign ministry praised Saudi Arabia's "keenness" to implement the Riyadh Agreement signed by the Yemeni legitimate government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in November 2019.
The accord targets reaching a ceasefire, supporting the path of a political solution, activating Yemeni state institutions, and achieving security and stability.
The statement also expressed appreciation of the UAE's role to support a political solution in Yemen.
Egypt welcomed the responsiveness of Yemen's legitimate government and the STC to the new mechanism to overcome the current obstacles, give priority to the Yemeni people's interests, and pave the way to resume the political process to reach a comprehensive solution to the crisis in Yemen.
The solution has to be in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative, Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference, and UNSC Resolution 2216, said the Egyptian statement.
The two Yemeni sides have been fighting in Aden and other southern regions since the STC declared self-rule in April.
Riyadh wants the two Yemeni sides in the south to focus their common fight against the Iran-backed Houthi forces that control the north of the country.
Both Yemeni sides are nominal allies in the Saudi-led coalition, which has been at war against the Houthis since 2014.
The Saudi-led military coalition battling the Houthis in Yemen intervened in the conflict-torn country in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed internationally-recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.
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