ISTANBUL

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held on Friday phone calls with his Saudi and UAE counterparts, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, respectively, to discuss latest developments in Yemen, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

Further details were not immediately available.

Yemen saw an unprecedented escalation after Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces took control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra in early December. The two provinces account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory and share borders with Saudi Arabia.

This week Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of “pushing STC forces to carry out military operations” along the kingdom’s southern border in Hadhramaut and Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.

The STC says successive Yemeni governments have marginalized southern regions politically and economically and calls for secession. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and reaffirm their commitment to the country’s unity.