Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will tell his Yemeni counterpart on Saturday that Houthi attacks on civilians are “unacceptable” and express hope that the conflict can be resolved through dialogue, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
Fidan is due to meet with Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba in İstanbul, a day after hosting talks with European and regional diplomats.
Al-Zouba represents Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which has been at war with the Iran-backed Houthis since 2014.
Fighting resumed in July after a four-year truce, months into the US-Iran conflict that has fueled a crisis across the region.
The war in Yemen has killed hundreds of thousands of people in one of the world’s poorest countries, which was already facing a humanitarian crisis.
Fidan will express support for political dialogue and describe “the Houthis’ attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure” as unacceptable during his talks with al-Zouba, the source said.
He will also call for security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab strait, two shipping routes linking the Persian Gulf and Red Sea to international markets, to be restored “as soon as possible.”
Saudi Arabia has faced Houthi attacks this month, with strikes on Riyadh’s international airport killing 13 people in the kingdom’s deadliest attack in years.
Turkey, which joined a defense pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, has expressed solidarity with the kingdom.
Foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany and Italy met with their counterparts from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt in İstanbul on Friday to discuss security in the two straits and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
© Agence France-Presse
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