Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, praised Russian support in light of recent attacks carried out by the Houthi rebels of Yemen's Ansar Allah movement on civilian facilities in the UAE. A statement to this effect was published Tuesday on the UAE Foreign Ministry's official website.
"Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan praised Russia's position [of] supporting the UAE [in light of] the terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthi rebels on civilian targets in the UAE, and [outlined] during the last UN Security Council meeting," it states.
It is noted that during the phone conversation with Lavrov, Al Nahyan "welcomed the strong, strategic, partnership and friendly relations between the UAE and Russia," as well as the desire of the two countries "to further strengthen them in various areas."
The Russian foreign ministry said on Monday that the foreign ministers of the two countries during a telephone conversation on the UAE's initiative discussed "the current situation in and around Yemen in light of the ongoing attacks of the Houthi movement Ansar Allah on civilian facilities on the territory of the Emirates."
On Monday night, the UAE Ministry of Defense reported the interception and destruction of two ballistic missiles sent by the Houthis toward Abu Dhabi. On January 17, the Houthis carried out a drone and ballistic missile attack on the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) infrastructure, as well as a construction site near the UAE capital's international airport. The fire at one of the ADNOC facilities killed four people and injured more than five.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS