RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan welcomed on Saturday the appointment of the Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as the new UN special envoy for Yemen to succeed Martin Griffiths. The Saudi minister wished him through his Twitter account success in his new role, saying that he looks forward to working with him. "The kingdom will continue to support all efforts to reach a political solution that helps bring peace and prosperity to Yemen," the minister said. Grundberg succeeds Martin Griffiths, who has been appointed as UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. On March 22, Saudi Arabia announced an initiative to end the Yemeni crisis. The initiative includes a comprehensive cease-fire across Yemen under the supervision of the United Nations. Serving since 2019 as Ambassador of the European Union to Yemen, Grundberg brings over 20 years of experience in international affairs, including over 15 years working in conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation, with a focus on the Middle East, the office of the special envoy UN secretary-general said in a statement. He previously headed the Gulf Division at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm during the time that Sweden hosted the United Nations-facilitated negotiations that culminated in the Stockholm Agreement in 2018.
