Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is scheduled to meet his Yemeni counterpart on Saturday in Istanbul to address the ongoing conflict involving the Houthis. A Turkish foreign ministry source stated that Fidan will convey Ankara’s position that attacks on civilians are unacceptable.
Fidan will sit down with Afrah Al-Zouba, who represents Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The meeting follows a day of high-level diplomatic talks in Istanbul that brought together senior European and regional diplomats.
The conflict in Yemen has persisted since 2014, pitting the Houthis against the internationally recognized government. An uneasy four-year truce preceded a resurgence of fighting in July, occurring months into a broader US-Iran conflict that has plunged the wider region into crisis.
Years of warfare have killed hundreds of thousands of people in Yemen. The nation is one of the world’s poorest countries and suffers from a vast humanitarian crisis.
During the upcoming discussions, Fidan will emphasize the need for a political resolution. The Turkish source noted that he will stress that Houthi attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are unacceptable.
Fidan is also expected to address maritime security during his meeting with Al-Zouba. He will state that freedom of navigation and security in the Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab straits must be restored as soon as possible.
Saudi Arabia has faced sustained strikes from the Iran-backed Houthis this month. These included an attack on Riyadh’s international airport that killed 13 people, marking the deadliest strike on the kingdom in years.
Turkiye recently entered into a defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Ankara has expressed firm solidarity with Riyadh after the attacks.
On Friday, government ministers from Britain, France, Germany, and Italy gathered in Istanbul. They met with counterparts from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt to deliberate on security in the Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab straits, alongside the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia.
