Saudi Foreign Minister seeks a political solution to the crisis in Yemen
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan affirmed on Saturday the Kingdom’s continued support to reach a political solution to the Yemeni crisis, while the Sultanate of Oman expressed its aspiration to work towards achieving security, stability, and Yemeni unity with the new UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as Special Envoy to Yemen, succeeding Martin Griffiths, who was appointed Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
The Saudi Foreign Minister said in a tweet on Twitter: “I welcome the appointment of Mr. Hans Grundberg as the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Yemen, and we wish him success in his new duties.”
The Saudi minister indicated that the Kingdom “will continue to support all efforts aimed at reaching a political solution to the Yemeni crisis that ends the suffering of the Yemeni people and ensures security, stability, and prosperity for Yemen and the region.
The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that it will continue to “reach out its hand for a just and sustainable peace based on the three references agreed upon nationally, regionally and internationally, and will provide all support to the new envoy to resume the political process and reach a comprehensive political solution that ends the coup and war.”
It added, “We hope that the new envoy, with his experience and expertise in Yemeni affairs, will work to resume political efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive ceasefire in light of the international consensus on the need to end the war and reach a political settlement through dialogue and negotiation.”
The European Union congratulated Grundberg on his appointment and considered that the selection is “a well-deserved recognition of his superior dedication and tireless efforts to the cause of peace in Yemen over the past years, as the European Union’s ambassador to Yemen and with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” according to a statement by the EU spokesperson.
The European Union expressed its aspiration to continue working with the new UN envoy and the international community to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution after the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen reached a “terrible” stage.
Swede Grundberg is the fourth UN envoy to Yemen since 2011. He was preceded by Moroccan Jamal Benomar, who held the position between April 2011 and April 2015, then Mauritanian Ismail Ould Cheikh between 2015 and 2018, followed by Britain’s Martin Griffiths.