Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the talks with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Yemen Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, Moscow, February 27, 2024

Esteemed Mr Prime Minister,

Dear friends,

We are happy to welcome you to Moscow. It is a pleasure to meet with you again now in your new position as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen. I am very pleased to congratulate you personally on your appointment as prime minister.

We have long-standing ties of friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding. In November 2023, we celebrated the 95th anniversary of diplomatic relations. During this time, the world has undergone many upheavals, some concern our countries as well. Regardless, Russia-Yemen relations have not stopped for a single day. The kind feelings of friendship between the peoples of Russia and Yemen have always remained the same. We know that people in Yemen remember the great socioeconomic, technical and humanitarian support rendered by our country in the formation and development of the state of Yemen.

At present, your country is undergoing a difficult historical period. We are interested in helping you overcome the difficulties, reach a settlement and continue developing our bilateral relations and cooperation in regional and international affairs. Today, we have a good opportunity to do this. I know that you have already held intensive and practical talks with the Government of the Russian Federation on trade and the economic aspects of our bilateral relations.

Today, we can focus on the foreign policy aspects of the developments around your country and the region in general. I am confident that your visit will allow us to map out specific areas to further deepen our partnership and interaction for the benefit of our countries and peoples.