Turkey is ready to support dialogue between Yemeni factions, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call, according to his office.
The phone call came after Saudi Arabia had accepted a request from Rashad Al Alimi, the chief of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), to hold talks in Riyadh and called on all southern factions to join the conference.
Turkey "stands ready to contribute to the efforts aimed at bringing the parties together in Yemen", Mr Erdogan's office said.
Yemen has been at war since the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group ousted the government in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention. An internal dispute, however, has developed among factions loosely grouped under the government.
The STC, an umbrella group of powerful southern armed factions seeking to restore an independent southern state, recently seized control of Hadhramaut and Mahra from other pro-government forces, effectively consolidating its grip over much of southern Yemen. Saudi Arabia rejected the move.
The group said his actions followed what it described as the failure of other pro-government factions to launch a serious campaign against the Houthis in their northern strongholds, including the capital Sanaa.
Rivals of the STC, acting on orders from Mr Al Alimi, moved to regain full control of the oil-rich south-easte
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