LONDON: Sultan Haitham bin Tariq this week became the first Omani head of state to visit Russia, where he met on Tuesday with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues.
Russia and Oman this year mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Moscow and Muscat in 1985.
Putin announced during their meeting at the Grand Hall of the Kremlin Palace, on the second and final day of the sultan’s visit, an upcoming summit with Arab League states.
“We plan to hold a summit between Russia and Arab countries this year. Many of our friends in the Arab world support this idea,” he said as he invited the sultan to attend, without specifying a date or venue.
The two leaders also emphasized the importance of efforts to enhance joint investment opportunities and improve communication between their countries, the Oman News Agency reported.
They welcomed the signing of several memorandums of understanding, the establishment of a Joint Economic Committee, and the mutual decision to exempt each other’s citizens from the need for entry visas to enter their countries.
On wider international issues, they stressed the need to establish an independent Palestinian state, affirmed their support for international efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from territory and all other occupied Palestinian territories.
