Iranian envoy: Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers might meet face to face

Iranian Ambassador to Turkey Ali Reza Bikdeli said there will be meetings between Iran and Turkey regarding the crisis in Yemen at a ministerial level and if required, the foreign ministers of the two countries might meet face to face in the near future.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Sabah, Bikdeli underlined that during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Iran on April 6, the Yemen crisis was discussed comprehensively and the two leaders came to an agreement that the two countries will work together to bring peace to Yemen.

"The concrete steps to solve the crisis in Yemen was established during that visit. What Iran and Turkey decided is firstly to reach a cease-fire, secondly dispatching humanitarian aid to Yemen as there are lots of casualties among Yemenis and lastly to start negotiations between Yemeni-Yemeni parties in a third country so that we can pave the ground for the establishment of an all-inclusive government in Yemen. To this end, it was also decided that the foreign ministers of the two countries will stay in touch more closely and hold meetings face to face if required," said Bikdeli.

Presidential sources told Daily Sabah that this third country might be Turkey due to its closeness to the two sides in the Yemen crisis, adding that the final decision has not been made yet.
Since March 26, a Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out daily airstrikes against Yemen's Shiite and Iran-backed rebels, known as Houthis. In order to reach a truce deal, Turkey suggests that Houthi rebels need to lay down their weapons unconditionally and stop their attacks while Iran advises that the Saudi-led campaign needs to be halted immediately.

Bikdeli argued that, "Another country is now assaulting Yemen," pointing to the dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia on the Yemen issue. He claimed this "assault" needs to be stopped in the first place. "In order to set these conditions, other countries' help is needed. We hope that these countries will be Turkey and Iran," proposed Bikdeli, pointing to the need for Turkish-Iranian cooperation.

On April 15, the U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Houthi militias in Yemen and blacklisted Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, as well as former President Saleh's son. Turkey expressed its support for the resolution in Yemen in a written statement from the Foreign Ministry. The statement said that Turkey expects all parties in Yemen, especially Houthis, to do their part in order to maintain peace abiding by international law.