President Al-Assad Meets Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, Stresses Oman Has Always Maintained Balanced Policies

On February 20th, President Bashar Al-Assad, accompanied by an official delegation, paid a work visit to the Sultanate of Oman, where he was welcomed at the Royal Private Airport by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman.

President Al-Assad and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq held official talks at Al-Baraka Al-Amer Palace in Muscat attended by the official delegations of the two countries.

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq again expressed his condolences to President Al-Assad and to the Syrian people over the victims of the earthquake, stressing his country’s continuous support for Syria to overcome the repercussions of this disaster.

He pointed out that Oman feels the difficult conditions that the Syrians are experiencing due to these factors.

For his part, President Al-Assad thanked the Sultan, the government and the brotherly people of Oman for their solidarity with and support for the Syrian Arab Republic and for sending relief aid.

The talks dealt with bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and with areas of joint cooperation. The two sides agreed to strengthen and advance bilateral cooperation in all fields.

The two sides also discussed developments in the situation on the regional and international arenas and efforts to support and enhance security and stability in the region. In this regaed, President Al-Assad considered that Oman has always maintained its balanced policies and credibility, and that now, the region needs a bigger role by Sultanate of Oman that serves the interests of the region’s peoples and strengthens the relations between Arab countries based on mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

For his part, His Majesty the Sultan said: “Syria is a brotherly Arab country, and we look forward to restoring its normal relations with all Arab countries,”

The official talks session was followed by a closed-door session of talks, then President Al-Assad and the accompanying delegation left Muscat concluding the vist.

During the visit, President Al-Assad was accompanied by an official delegation that comprised Faisal al-Mikdad, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Mansour Azzam, Minister of Presidency Affairs, Samer al-Khalil, Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Luna al-Shibl, political and media advisor at the Presidency of the Republic and Idris Mia, Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Sultanate of Oman.

O. al-Mohammad