New York (VNA) – Vietnam presided over a meeting of the UnitedNations Security Council (UNSC) on January 16 which looked into issues inYemen.

Representing Vietnam – President of the UN Security Council in January,Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN, sharedthe concern of countries over the humanitarian situation in Yemen, and attacksagainst civilians and civil infrastructure facilities.

He called on parties concerned to exercise restraint and facilitate the UN’shumanitarian activities in Yemen.

He welcomed the recent progress while highly appreciating the roles andcontributions of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffithsand the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) to reducingtension in the region and accelerating the implementation of the StockholmAgreement.

Besides, he asked relevant sides to build trust, fully implement signedagreements, as well as facilitate dialogues toward a comprehensive,long-lasting political solution that is in accordance with international lawand the UNSC’s related resolutions to bring unification to Yemen and meetlegitimate aspirations of its people.

According to Martin Griffiths, Yemen had been kept safe in recent weeks even asthe wider region had been in crisis. Most importantly, in this time of crisis,no major acts of military provocation have been seen in Yemen; and indeed, ithas been one of the quietest weeks in the country since the war began fiveyears ago.

“This achievement has not come by chance. Yemeni leaders and leaders from theregion have deliberately exercised restraint and withheld from acts ofprovocation”, he said.

He spoke highly of the commitments of the Yemeni Government and SouthernTransitional Council to implement the Riyadh Agreement with the support ofSaudi Arabia.

Griffiths underlined that although implementation of the Stockholm Agreementhas been unsatisfactory, the UN and both sides remain committed to the deal.

“Though violence unfortunately continues in the southern districts, therelative calm at the frontlines in Hudaydah city shows that the measures toenhance the de-escalation – the ceasefire mechanism- is working, and this issomething we can and should build on”, he said.

Military tensions could not be eased if there is no advancement in the politicalprogress, he stressed, adding competent sides should channel more efforts tobring peace to Yemen in 2020.

Meanwhile, other UNSC members welcomed recent positive developments in Yemen,and hailed efforts of the UN and relevant countries. They also called onrelevant parties to carry out the Stockholm and Riyadh Agreements, layingfoundation to promote comprehensive peace talks under the UN’s sponsorship./.