Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman played a central role in hosting and facilitating dialogue to ensure the ceasefire in Yemen, the US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, made a phone call to Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States of America, and discussed the two sides' interest in enhancing opportunities for economic partnership and cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
"The two sides also exchanged views on a number of regional and international developments and issues, affirmed their welcome for the announcement of the renewal of the armistice in the Republic of Yemen, and agreed to continue supporting all efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability.
In an official statement, the US President said, "I welcome the announcement today of a continuation of the truce in the Yemen conflict. The last two months in Yemen, thanks to the truce brokered in April, have been among the most peaceful periods since this terrible war began seven years ago. Thousands of lives have been saved as fighting receded. For the first time in seven years, Yemenis are able to fly from Sana’a to destinations outside Yemen. We have also seen additional fuel ships moving through the port of Hudaydah, helping ease Yemen’s fuel crisis. The parties to the conflict have now extended this truce for another two months, and it’s important that we work from here to make it permanent."
He added, "Ending the war in Yemen has been a priority of my administration. I am grateful for the tireless work of my Special Envoy Tim Lenderking, and the UN’s Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg. Their work, however, is not finished. I urge all parties to move expeditiously towards a comprehensive and inclusive peace process. Our diplomacy will not rest until a permanent settlement is in place."
Biden said, "This truce also would not have been possible without cooperative diplomacy from across the region. Saudi Arabia demonstrated courageous leadership by taking initiatives early on to endorse and implement the terms of the UN-led truce. Oman played a central role in hosting and facilitating dialogue. Egypt and Jordan opened their airports to flights from Yemen over the past month thereby enabling a key component of the truce process."
The United States will remain engaged in this process over the coming weeks and months.
"As we continue to support regional diplomacy to de-escalate tensions wherever possible in the Middle East region, the United States is also focused intensively on deterring threats to our friends and partners. Our friends can rely on the United States as the security partner of choice," the president said.
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