Russia fears that the US plans to declare the Houthis as terrorists will have a negative effect on the settlement in Yemen, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the press conference following talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Reuters earlier reported, citing sources, on the US plans to declare Yemen's Ansar Allah movement a terrorist organization. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the intention to declare the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization. The Houthis themselves have threatened the US with retaliation if their movement is added to the list of terrorist organizations.
Lavrov said he would very much like to see a political settlement in Yemen not affected by this decision.
"But many people, including representatives of the UN, have expressed fears that a negative effect could appear," he said.
For his part, the Saudi Foreign Minister noted that the country supports the advancement of the political process in Yemen.
"We believe that the decision taken by the United States will not have the kind of negative effect on this political process that the actions of the Houthis on the territory of Yemen have, which are constantly and actively undermining the settlement process. "If Ansar Allah were to voice seriousness about engaging in dialogue, we could see the prospects for a settlement in Yemen, and that would be a much greater contribution on their part," he said.
"We believe that this decision was made primarily not on the basis of some individual episodes, but on the basis of a series of events that have occurred and whose perpetrators are the Houthis, namely attacks on civilian targets on Saudi territory, attacks on civilians on Yemen by the Houthis themselves and their other actions. All of this forced the US to take the decision," the Saudi Minister pointed out.
In Yemen, the confrontation between government forces and the Houthis, who have seized power in the country, has been going on since August 2014. Since March 2015, an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE has been fighting on the side of the internationally recognized government with President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. In response to continuous airstrikes on territories in northern Yemen under the Houthis control, the rebels have shelled Saudi border areas with Yemen, in particular airports and oil facilities.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from RIA Novosti