Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry reiterated Cairo's commitment to supporting the United Nations' role in Yemen to consolidate a calming path and support the completion of the political solution.

Shoukry made his statement during a meeting with Hans Grundberg, the special envoy of the secretary-general of the United Nations to Yemen, on Monday in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The meeting tackled the latest developments in Yemen and the means to ensure sustainable solutions that meet the aspirations of the Yemeni people, particularly with regard to achieving stability and preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country.

Shoukry expressed Egypt's keenness to alleviate the humanitarian burdens on the Yemeni people, read a statement by Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry.

The foreign minister highlighted Egypt's fundamentals regarding the Yemeni crisis, which he said are based on the necessity of supporting "an inclusive political process for all Yemeni parties that preserves the Yemeni people's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The process, Shoukry noted, should also contribute to dealing with the concerns of the Yemeni people at the economic and humanitarian levels, according to the statement.

Egypt's top diplomat conveyed a congratulatory message to the UN secretary-general on the success of the first part of the UN plan to save the Safer oil reservoir -- which was threatening the marine environment and international navigation in the region.

Earlier this month, the UN announced that it had successfully transferred more than one million barrels of oil from the dilapidated Yemeni tanker, removing the imminent risk of a spill.

The tanker -- which has been moored around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Hodeida since the 1980s, but has not been serviced since Yemen's devastating civil war broke out in 2015 -- was carrying 1.14 million barrels of Marib light crude.

Grundberg said Egypt plays an "important" role in facilitating the unloading of Safer.

He lauded Egypt's efforts at the political and humanitarian levels to resolve the the crisis in Yemen, shedding light on Egypt's hosting of large numbers of Yemenis.

The conflict in Yemen started in 2014 when the Houthi rebels overran the capital of Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognised government from power. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the country's internationally recognised government

Thousands have been killed while around three million have been displaced. Two-thirds of the population receive food assistance, according to UN estimates.

An initial UN-sponsored two-month truce agreed in April 2022 by the government and the Houthis was extended twice but lapsed in October. Fighting has largely remained on hold though.

Since the start of the conflict, Egypt has pushed for a political solution in Yemen that would meet the aspirations of the Yemeni people in achieving stability and development and end the extended humanitarian crisis.