Iran criticizes Saudi colaition for sabotaging stockholm pact

Senior Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister in Special Political Affairs, Ali-Asghar Khaji and the Swedish Special Envoy to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Peter Semneby in a video conference on Wednesday discussed the latest political developments and the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

In this conversation, the two sides stressed the need for continued cooperation between the two countries to help resolve the political crisis in Yemen, as well as the need for the international community to expand humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people, especially under the Covid-19 outbreak.

Referring to the commitment of the Yemeni National Salvation Government to its commitments in the Stockholm Agreement and its unilateral implementation, Khaji criticized the Saudi coalition for sabotaging its commitments and expressed hope that the agreement would be revived and fully implemented with the help of the international community.

He also hailed the efforts made by the Secretary-General and his Special Representative to Yemen on the way to improve the peace plan in Yemen and stressed the need for an end to the military strikes to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.

Semneby, for his turn, referred to the several commonalities and efforts of Iran and Sweden for resolving the political crisis in Yemen and praised the capacity of the two countries to play an active role in resolving the crisis.

He called for more mutual cooperation in this regard, as well.

Since early 2015, Riyadh and a coalition of its vassal states have been engaged in a military campaign against Yemen in a futile attempt to reinstall a Saudi-friendly government there.

The Western-backed war, which has been accompanied by a crippling blockade of Yemen, has killed tens of thousands of people and afflicted the already-poorest Arabian Peninsula nation with the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” according to the UN.

Backed by the armed forces and allied popular groups, the Houthi movement has been defending Yemen against the Saudi-led offensive.