Russian foreign minister praises ‘Omani diplomatic wisdom’ in Muscat
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Sultan Haitham of Oman in Muscat yesterday to discuss bilateral ties.
Mr Lavrov was welcomed by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi at Muscat International Airport.
He then travelled to the capital’s Al Barakah Palace.
Sultan Haitham and Mr Lavrov discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine. The UN said last week that more than 3,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.
Sultan Haitham “stressed the need to adhere to the rules of international law and to intensify efforts to reach political and diplomatic solutions through dialogue”, Oman’s state news agency reported.
Talks should preserve “the independence, sovereignty and sound coexistence of countries and peoples”, Sultan Haitham said.
Mr Lavrov praised what he called “Omani wisdom in dealing with various regional and international issues”.
Russian state-linked news agency Tass said Mr Lavrov was also expected to meet Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd Al Said on the one-day visit.
Bilateral trade has been growing in recent years, with Russia exporting mainly wheat to Oman. In return, Oman exports goods including plastics and perfumes to Russia.
Mr Al Busaidi told Mr Lavrov that Muscat was committed to Opec+ output agreements and the country supported all international efforts to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear pact, state media reported.
Indirect US-Iranian talks to revive the pact have stalled. Mr Al Busaidi said Omanis “do not blame any party for disrupting the negotiations, but we support dialogue and direct talk”.
Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia are the other parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Washington left the deal in 2018 and reimposed US sanctions, prompting Tehran to breach various nuclear restrictions the agreement imposes.
EU envoy Enrique Mora was in Tehran yesterday to try to revive the process.
Meanwhile, a move yesterday by Ukraine to cut off Russian gas supplies through territory held by Russian-backed separatists marked the first time the conflict has directly disrupted supplies to Europe.
Gas supplies piped from Russia’s Gazprom to Europe through Ukraine fell by a quarter after the flow was disrupted.
Kyiv said it was forced to halt all flows from one route, through the Sokhranovka transit point in southern Russia. It accused Russian-backed separatists of taking supplies.