On Monday 25 June, the Council of foreign affairs ministers announced that the European Union will step up its work with regard to Yemen.
In the conclusions it adopted, the Council states that the EU will continue to talk to all parties to the conflict and that it is ready to strengthen its action in Yemen, including on channelling humanitarian aid throughout the country and mobilising development aid in order to finance projects in key sectors.
"The member states have a responsibility and a role to play. We need us all to use the contacts and levers on the actors in order to help bring the parties around the negotiation table", High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini told press when questioned by EUROPE about the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia by certain member states. "The weapons should give a chance to diplomacy", she said.
In their conclusions, the ministers once again asked all the international and regional actors to cooperate constructively with the parties in Yemen to enable a de-escalation and a negotiated settlement of the conflict. The ministers also called on all the parties to put an end to the current escalation, to show restraint, to work urgently on establishing a ceasefire at national level, and to cooperate constructively with the United Nations.
The heads of diplomacy, who had lunch with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, gave their support to his work to relaunch the political process – particularly his intention to resume the inclusive political negotiations as soon as possible, in order to discuss political framework concerning the transitional and staggered political and security arrangements.
The European leaders furthermore expressed their great concern at the recent intensification of military operations in Hodeida and its surroundings, including as regards the consequences for civilians of the coalition military operations. The ministers stated that there is currently no viable substitution solution to the port of Hodeida as a platform for distributing the necessary trade and humanitarian goods. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)