Iran’s President, Omani King Vow to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and Omani King Sultan Qaboos, in a meeting in Tehran, hailed amicable ties between the two nations, and called for the expansion of mutual cooperation between Tehran and Masqat in all arenas.

“The senior officials of both countries must try to further expand and deepen the bilateral relations,” the Iranian president said on Sunday.

“Tehran-Masqat cooperation is very effective and important in order to restore peace and stability to the region and Iran seeks to pursue this policy in cooperation with other regional countries,” Rouhani added.

The Omani king, for his part, hailed amicable ties between Tehran and Masqat and called for bolstering trade and economic cooperation.

Sultan Qaboos expressed readiness for increasing trade ties with Iran through the North-South Corridor which is currently being established by Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

Oman’s Sultan Qaboos arrived in Tehran on Sunday to meet with senior Iranian officials.

Sultan Qaboos, who is the first foreign leader visiting Iran since President Rouhani ascended to power, is heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation during his three-day visit to Iran.

The Omani king is due to hold talks with senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani during his visit to the Islamic Republic.

Tehran and Masqat are also due to ink several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) during the Omani King’s visit to Iran.

Last week, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian announced that Sultan Qaboos would discuss regional issues with the Iranian officials during his stay in Tehran.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that they attach great importance to the consolidation of Tehran’s relations with the Middle-East countries in order to protect and promote peace and security in the region.

Earlier this year, former Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi underlined the importance of close cooperation among the Persian Gulf countries in line with the protection and maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region.

Iran and Oman have expanded cooperation in a variety of areas such as economy and defense specially since 2005 when Iran’s former President Ahmadinejad took office.