Russia welcomes Washington's decision to remove Yemen's Houthis rebel movement Ansar Allah from the list of terrorist organizations, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said at a Security Council meeting on Thursday.
"We welcome the US administration's decision to reconsider the decision to list Ansar Allah as a foreign terrorist organization," he said.
Nebenzya called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations, and also pointed to the need for "confidence-building measures in the political, military and civilian spheres, which will help alleviate the extremely difficult humanitarian situation of the population."
At the same time, the UN Envoy stressed that the ceasefire should not be about combating terrorists who use the protracted conflict to strengthen their positions in Yemen and beyond.
The United States removed the Ansar Allah movement from the US list of terrorist organizations as of February 16, thus reversing the January 19 decision of the previous Donald Trump administration.
The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing since August 2014. The military confrontation intensified after the invasion of the country in March 2015 by Saudi-led coalition troops. The ongoing war has created the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. According to the UN, more than 24 million Yemenis - about 80 percent of the country's population - are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the number of internally displaced persons exceeds 3 million.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Zuma \ TASS
Based on materials from TASS