Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah welcomed on Saturday the appointment of Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as the new United Nations envoy to Yemen.
In a tweet, he said: “We wish him success in his new role and look 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.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Grundberg’s appointment on Friday.
The 15-member Security Council approved Grundberg this week as a replacement for Martin Griffiths, who became the UN aid chief last month after trying to mediate an end to the conflict in Yemen for the past three years.
Grundberg has been the European Union ambassador to Yemen since September 2019.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Grundberg brings to his new job over 20 years of experience in international affairs, including more than 15 years working in conflict resolution with a focus on the Middle East.
He previously served with both Swedish and EU missions, including postings in Cairo and Jerusalem as well as Brussels, where he chaired the Middle East/Gulf Working Group of the EU Council during the 2009 Swedish presidency of the European Union.
