The Special Envoy for Yemen meets with Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense

The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, met with the Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh yesterday. They discussed ways to support the political process in Yemen as well as efforts towards the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement.

The Special Envoy highlighted the efforts of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in implementing the prisoners and detainees exchange agreement and the challenges and opportunities facing this important humanitarian file. He stressed the importance of making progress in this agreement, which affects the lives of thousands of Yemeni families. He urged all parties to show the flexibility needed to start a comprehensive exchange of prisoners and detainees as soon as possible.

The Special Envoy briefed the Deputy Minister on the progress achieved in the implementation of the Hudaydah Agreement, in particular the activation of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism and its positive impact on protecting civilians, strengthening humanitarian action, and creating a conducive environment in support of confidence-building measures.

The Deputy Minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman also briefed Mr. Griffiths on the Kingdom's efforts to mediate a solution for the situation in south Yemen. The Special Envoy appreciated the Kingdom's great efforts in this respect and highlighted the pivotal role of Saudi Arabia and its leadership under the Crown Prince in supporting UN efforts aiming to reach a political solution to the crisis in Yemen.