IRI, Oman urge for broader mutual cooperation

IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Sultan Qaboos of Oman discussed latest regional and
international issues on phone, Wednesday night.

Pointing to the Iran-Oman joint stand on regional issues, Iranian president stressed the continuation of bilateral efforts to boost regional peace and security.

Sultan Qaboos for his part, emphasized on development of cooperation between Iran and Oman.

“Tehran and Muscat can develop their cooperation in support of regional peace and security,” he added.

Oman and Iran share close diplomatic, economic, and military ties. The two countries have conducted joint military exercises as recently as February 2011. Oman’s leader Sultan Qaboos traveled to Iran in 2009 for the first time since Iran’s 1979
revolution.

In addition to strong diplomatic and political ties, Iran and Oman cooperate economically on several fronts, including energy.

Most recently, the Persian Gulf neighbors signed an initial agreement to begin supplying large quantities of natural gas
from Iran to Oman, a project that was earlier reported to be worth between 7-12 dlrs billion, according to IRNA.

In addition to these major economic projects, the two countries have opened a joint bank to facilitate their mutual financial dealings, agreed to develop
the Kish and Hengam gas fields in the Gulf, and signed a memorandum of understanding for a potential joint petrochemical project valued at 800 dlrs million.