Yemen eyes stronger relations with Türkiye: Foreign minister

- Yemen’s foreign minister says his government eager to achieve peace, end war with Houthi group

ISTANBUL

Yemeni Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsin Zindani hailed his country’s relations with Türkiye as “historic,” reiterating his willingness to further bolster their bilateral ties.

“Yemen shares historic relations with Türkiye and there are many common bonds that we are proud of,” Zindani told Anadolu in an exclusive interview.

“We are eager to enhance and grow our bilateral relations,” he said. “We appreciate the Turkish government's support, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the Yemeni people and the legitimate government.”

The top Yemeni diplomat visited Istanbul, Türkiye, to attend a ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on June 21-22.

Addressing the situation in Yemen, Zindani said that developments in Yemen cannot be evaluated apart from the broader regional situation.

“Yemen is an important strategic part of the region," Zindani said. "What is happening in Yemen cannot be viewed in isolation from these regional developments as a whole."

Yemen has been in turmoil since 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group overrun much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa, forcing the government to relocate to the southern city of Aden.

The conflict has claimed over 150,000 lives and has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises globally, resulting in tens of thousands of additional deaths.

Peace

The minister stressed that his government is eager to achieve peace and end the war with the Houthi group.

"The Houthi coup against the legitimate government and the obstruction of international navigation in the Red Sea, under the pretext of supporting our brothers in Palestine, had repercussions for Yemen and the Yemeni people," Zindani said.

“The US and Israeli military responses to the Houthis have severely damaged the Yemeni people's infrastructure and vital facilities."

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 56,000 victims have been killed in the Israeli offensive.

The US and Israel have launched waves of airstrikes against Houthi sites in Yemen, killing scores and worsening the already humanitarian conditions in the war-torn country.