Oman FM meets Syria’s Assad in Damascus

Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf Bin Alawi held talks with Syrian regime President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus yesterday.

This is his second visit by the Omani official to Damascus since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011. His first visit was in October 2015.

Bin Alawi is the only Gulf minister to visit Syria in the last eight years.

The Omani ministry said on Twitter that Bin Alawi is currently visiting Damascus and has conveyed to Al-Assad the greetings of the Omani ruler, Qaboos Bin Said.

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“The meeting discussed bilateral relations and means of enhancing them as well as efforts to restore security and stability in the region,” it added.

Bin Alawi has held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem during which he reviewed “bilateral relations between the two countries and the current developments on the regional Arab arena”, the Omani foreign ministry explained.

Al-Muallem has visited Muscat at least twice since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution.

Oman is the only country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that did not cut diplomatic and political ties with the Syrian regime in the wake of the Syrian revolution.

Both the UAE and Bahrain have recently reopened their embassies in Damascus after closing them in 2012.