Head Of Yemen' Foreign Ministry To Visit Russia

The visit to Russia by the head of Yemen's Foreign Ministry Abu Bark al-Qurbi will strengthen Russian-Yemeni relations, said Igor Ivanov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, opening negotiations with his Yemeni counterpart on Wednesday. Igor Ivanov recalled that at the Millennium Summit in New York President of Russia Vladimir Putin met with President of the Yemeni Republic Ali Abdallah Salih, which has become a major event in Russian-Yemeni relations. During their talks the two presidents dealt with Russian-Yemeni cooperation both in the international arena and in the sphere of bilateral relations, said Ivanov. The Russian minister proposed to his counterpart that they discuss such acute international issues as settlement of the crisis situation in the Middle East and the situation around Iraq. The Foreign Minister of Yemen noted, in his turn, that this was his first visit after his appointment as head of the foreign ministry and he is called upon to confirm the close historical ties that exist between Yemen and Russia. The Yemeni Minister recalled that Yemen was the first Arab state to recognize the Russian Federation in 1920, and later on also the Soviet Union.

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