Yemeni premier hails Turkey’s support to his war-torn country

Yemeni prime minister on Wednesday expressed gratitude to Turkey for its support to his country, which has been ravaged by civil war since 2014.

According to Yemen’s Saba news agency, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed received Faruk Bozgoz, Turkish ambassador to Yemen, at the presidential palace located in the city of Aden, the temporary capital.

The Yemeni premier commended Turkey's support towards the legitimate government of Yemen, and welcomed its humanitarian and educational activities.

Bozgoz, for his part, said Turkey would continue to back the legitimate administration led by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and it would take steps to enhance bilateral ties.

The Turkish envoy underlined that Ankara would continue humanitarian and educational aids to the people of Yemen.

Through numerous humanitarian agencies, such as the Humanitarian Relief Foundation and the Turkish Red Crescent, Turkey has been providing aid to the needy people of Yemen since the early days of the civil war.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since 2014, when the Houthi rebel group overran much of the country, including Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

Since then, thousands of people -- including numerous civilians -- are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while the UN has repeatedly warned that some 14 million Yemenis remain at risk of famine.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas