Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with his counterparts in (a) the Government of Saudi Arabia and (b) the Government of Yemen on (i) opening Sana’a International airport, (ii) implementing a UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to facilitate traffic through the airport and (iii) facilitating direct international flights for aid workers, journalists, humanitarian aid and seriously ill people.

Improving humanitarian and commercial access in Yemen is one of the UK’s top priorities. The UK is actively raising humanitarian concerns with all parties, calling on them to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2451 and facilitate safe, rapid, and unhindered access for humanitarian and commercial supplies, including through Aden Port and airports. The UK continues to encourage vital access for food, fuel, and medicine by providing £1.3 million to help the UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism to facilitate commercial imports into Hodeidah and Saleef ports by giving the Coalition confidence that weapons are not coming in on commercial ships.