MOSCOW: Russia on Monday called for an end to fighting in Yemen. Russia halted its diplomatic presence in Yemen last month.
“There is no alternative but to end armed conflict as soon as possible in Yemen,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow with his Yemeni counterpart Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi.
He said Moscow would engage with all sides to help the situation move to a political dialogue.
The Yemeni foreign minister said: “The legitimate government of Yemen, in common with the Arab coalition, supports a peaceful solution,” in comments translated into Russian. “War was not our choice, war was imposed on us,” he said.
Separately, Yemeni security officials said Houthi rebels fired Katyusha rockets on a military parade near the central city of Taiz, killing four civilians, including a local journalist, in an apparent assassination attempt on the interior minister and his deputy.
The officials spoke about Monday’s attack on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
On Sunday, the UN called for nearly $3 billion in humanitarian relief for the country.
The $2.96 billion will be used to respond to fight looming famine and cholera in the country.
Some 8.4 million Yemenis are also at risk of famine, according to OCHA.
In 2017, international donors provided $1.65 billion of the $2.34 billion requested by the UN and humanitarian partners in Yemen.