Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said Turkey and Iran have agreed to work together to resolve the Yemeni conflict, which threatens to degenerate into a full-blown regional war, Today’s Zaman reported on Friday.
As Houthi rebels and loyalists to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh pressed towards central Aden -- despite intense air bombardment from Saudi-led coalition forces -- calls for a political resolution took precedence over the continuation of fighting.
Air strikes have not yet paid off as the Saudi-backed operation has failed to stem the advance of Houthi rebels into Aden amid intensified street clashes with local tribes.
While Turkey had first expressed its support for Saudi Arabia for its military attempts to bring down the Houthi ascendancy in Yemen, it quickly shifted to a policy favoring a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Cavusoglu reiterated Ankara’s warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe unless an immediate truce takes place.
The first international medical and humanitarian aid arrived in Yemen on Friday, amid a brief lull in fighting between the factions.
Speaking at a joint press conference after a meeting with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Ahmed Karti in Ankara on Friday, Cavusoglu said Turkey and Iran have decided on close cooperation to bring a lasting resolution to the Yemeni conflict.
He said that both sides made the pledge to work side by side during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Tehran on April 7.
“We agreed to cooperate with Iran to end the crisis [in Yemen]. Our contact with the (Persian) Gulf states will also continue. Our objective here is to end the chaos in Yemen and bring peace and stability back to the country,” he said.
