Dominic Raab intends, inter alia, to raise the issue of human rights.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will meet with senior representatives of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on 4 and 5 March. A peaceful settlement in Yemen will be one of the main subjects of discussion for politicians, the Forin office said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The head of the British diplomatic mission plans to meet with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and national security advisor for the Middle East Kingdom, Musaid Al Ayban.
“They will discuss the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, security and regional stability, and ways to deal with the threat of climate change”, – the statement said.
The minister will also hold talks with Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Raab intends to raise issues on which countries have divergent views, including the human rights issue, during the discussion.
In Yemen, since August 2014, confrontations between the President’s forces and the Husiths have continued. The confrontation has entered its most active phase since the invasion of the country in March 2015 by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE supported the operation against rebels who had taken control of much of Yemen. They were joined by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen.
The conflict has created the largest humanitarian crisis in the world: according to the UN, more than 24 million Yemenis – about 80% of the country’s population – need humanitarian assistance and the number of internally displaced persons exceeds 3 million.