Yemeni gov't responsible for safety of abducted Iranian diplomat: Official

An Iranian official has emphasized that the government of Yemen is responsible for the safety of the Iranian diplomat recently abducted in the Arab country.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hussein Amir-Abdollahian underlined on Tuesday the responsibility of the Yemeni government in guaranteeing the safety of Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, an administrative staff member at the Iranian embassy in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a, who was recently abducted in the host country.

He noted, however, that Yemen’s Foreign Ministry and relevant authorities have launched intensive efforts to identify those involved in the kidnapping.

While thanking the Yemeni authorities for their efforts in pursuing the case, the Iranian official further expressed hope that the work of Yemeni government would yield results as soon as possible and lead to the freedom of the Iranian diplomat in Sana’a.

Following a phone conversation between Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his Yemeni counterpart Abu Bakr al-Qirbi on Sunday, Yemen’s Foreign Ministry has set up a task group to pursue the case, Amir-Abdollahian said earlier.

During the phone conversation, Salehi further reminded al-Qirbi that under international treaties and conventions, the host country is responsible for the safety of diplomats.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Yemeni charge d’affaires to Tehran on Sunday to convey the Islamic Republic's serious concern over the fate of the kidnapped Iranian diplomat and to reiterate the responsibility of Sana’a in guaranteeing Nikbakht’s safety.

Police sources in Yemen reportedly stated on Sunday that unknown gunmen had kidnapped Nikbakht.

The Iranian diplomat was travelling in the diplomatic quarter in southern Sana’a when armed men blocked the road, forced him to get out of his vehicle and took him to an unknown location.

Source: presstv.com