EU Diplomat Discusses Yemen in Tehran

EghtesadOnline: Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid, who was in Tehran as part of her regional tour, discussed the situation in war-torn Yemen.

News ID: ۷۴۷۵۸۱

17 June 2019

In a meeting with Ali Asghar Khaji, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's senior aide for political affairs, on Saturday, the two sides highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

They underscored the need to push for the implementation of Stockholm agreements between Yemeni groups and to pursue the peace process using political solutions, ISNA reported.

They also agreed to maintain consultations between Iran and the European Union to address the problems of the Yemeni people, according to Financial Tribune.

A western-backed Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthi forces in Yemen since 2015, in a civil war that has killed more than 10,000 people and pushed the impoverished country to the verge of famine.

Last December, in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, Yemen's warring parties agreed on a ceasefire, exchange of prisoners and the reopening of humanitarian corridors to help millions of starving Yemenis.

The truce, however, failed to avert a humanitarian crisis, as the Saudi-led coalition has continued its indiscriminate airstrikes on civilians and public infrastructure with American and British assistance.

Schmid had earlier met with Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and stressed the importance of safeguarding Iran's fragile nuclear deal.