GENEVA (Sputnik) —A decision by the delegation representing interests of Houthi rebels at Yemen reconciliation talks to postpone its visit to Moscow is not linked with the recent visit of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Russia, a delegation member said Friday.
"Our delayed visit has nothing to do with the Saudi prince's visit to Russia," Yahya Dowaid told reporters in Geneva.
"We were supposed to travel to Russia on Friday, but the consultations in Geneva continued until today and we asked Russia to change the date," Dowaid stressed.
He expressed hope that Sanaa delegation will be able to visit Russia soon.
Earlier on Friday, the first round of the UN-mediated peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels in Geneva has come to an end. According to Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassin, the talks did not yield any positive results.
Yemen has been in a state of turmoil in recent months, as the Houthi rebels, the country’s main opposition force, seized large areas of the country, forcing the government and President Abd Mansur Rabbuh Hadi to flee the country.
An international coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia has been carrying out airstrikes against the rebels’ positions since late March following Hadi’s request.
According to UN estimates, since the beginning of the Saudi airstrikes, Yemeni hostilities claimed lives of more than 1,400 civilians.
