Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah has reiterated to Yemeni Defence Minister Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi Cairo's "steadfast” support of all efforts meant to reach a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Yemen.

President El-Sisi received on Monday Al-Maqdashi in Cairo in the presence of Mohamed Zaki, Egypt’s minister of defence, and Mohamed Ali Maram, Yemen’s ambassador to Cairo, read a statement by Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.

“The president stresses Egypt's steadfast stance in support of all efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people," the statement noted.

"These are the pillars of the Egyptian policy, and Egypt will spare no effort to help Yemen achieve these goals," he added.

Al-Maqdashi conveyed the greetings of Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to the Egyptian president, praising Egypt-Yemen cooperation in all fields, especially at the military and security levels.

He also expressed his country's aspirations that Egypt, being the largest Arab country, will continue to support the political efforts aimed at containing the situation in Yemen and ending the humanitarian crisis there, Rady noted.

El-Sisi asked Al-Maqdashi to convey his greetings to the Yemeni president, the statement added.

The six-year conflict in Yemen led to the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with around 21 million people -- about two-thirds of the population -- in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 11 million children, according to a recent UNICEF report.

The Yemen conflict, which rendered thousands of people dead or injured, has taken a toll on the Yemeni economy, leaving around 4.4 million people displaced and more than 13 million suffering from poverty, said a UN report released in December 2020.

The conflict started after the 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa by the Iran-backed Houthis, which led the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

 -Ahram Online