Algeria, May 30, IRNA – Iranian foreign minister in a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart asked for Sana’a’s more serious efforts in pursuing the fate of the abducted Iranian diplomat in Yemen.
According to a report by the IRNA dispatched reporter, Mohammad Javad Zarif in his meeting with Abu-Baker al-Qurba on the sidelines of a joint conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77 foreign ministers said that the region is faced with such challenges as terrorism and extremism, and needs to seek ways to encounter them collectively.


“Tehran is also ready for expansion of bilateral relation in various regional and international scenes,” said Zarif, appreciating the Yemeni government’s moves and cooperation in pursuing the fate of the abducted Iranian diplomat and asking for more intensified efforts in the field.

Abu Baker al-Qurba, too, for his part referred to the accelerating trend of developments in the Middle East region, emphasizing that in order to resolve the problems collective cooperation of the Middle East countries and shared usage of their facilities and capabilities at the service of pursuing the shared interests is needed.

He referred to a recent round of talks held in the course of a visit of Sana’a by the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the establishment of a special joint committee to pursue the fate of the abducted Iranian diplomat.

He meanwhile announced his country’s will for the expansion of relations and for resolving of certain existing problems.

The Iranian foreign minister who was in Algeria during the past three days to attend the 1the NAM Foreign Ministers Conference left Algiers for Tehran at about noon time on Friday.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on March 21, 2014 that the Iranian diplomat abducted in Yemen last July is “in complete good health.”

Amir-Abdollahian said that the Yemeni officials are seriously pursuing the release of Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, the Iranian Embassy official who was abducted in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a last year.

He further added that Iran is “now closer” to securing the release of the abducted diplomat.

Last month, Yemeni Charge d’Affaires to Tehran Abdullah Ali al-Seri, said that Nikbakht is alive and in good health, emphasizing that the Yemen Interior Ministry and security forces are responsible for investigating the fate of the abducted Iranian diplomat.

Nikbakht was on his way to work from his home in the city’s diplomatic quarter on July 21, 2013 when unidentified gunmen blocked the road, forced him out of his vehicle and abducted him.

On January 18, 2014, another staff member at the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a, Abolqasem Asadi, was gunned down by members of a terrorist group outside the Iranian ambassador’s residence in the Yemeni capital.

The assailants first tried to kidnap the Iranian diplomat but when they faced his resistance, they opened fire on him. The diplomat who was seriously injured passed away in hospital.

By IRNA

 

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