ByNews Desk- The Cradle
The Omani sultanate has been one of the few Arab states that have maintained diplomatic ties with Damascus since the start of the US-backed war
Al-Busaidi met with his Syrian counterpart Dr. Faysal Mikdad. According to reports ahead of Al-Busaidi’s visit to Damascus, the Omani official’s is set to discuss bilateral relations between Syria and Oman. During his visit he also held a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad.
“The relations with the sisterly Sultanate of Oman have been continued and have not been severed… The Sultanate has stood by Syria in its war against terrorism”, Mikdad said upon Al-Busaidi’s arrival.
“We used to meet in Muscat and now we receive in Damascus our brothers from the Sultanate with open hearts and open minds…Relations between our two brotherly countries have been continuous and have not been severed for many years, and I will not limit this to the beginning of the crisis in Syria”, Mikdad added during a joint statement made to the Syrian press.
“I do not consider myself as a guest, but here in my country… We look forward to meeting with the brothers, exchanging views and discussing what we can work on within the framework of developing bilateral relations and cooperation between our two countries in all economic, commercial and scientific fields,” Al-Busaidi said.
“All the Arab brothers always look forward to meeting with Syria and the return of Arab cohesion to its normal status, therefore, all our endeavors, myself and others from the Arab brothers, are directed towards this field”, the Omani foreign minister said in response to a question from the press.
Despite reducing its diplomatic presence in the country in 2012, Oman was one of the few Arab states to maintain relations with Syria after the start of the US-backed war in 2011.
Over the past few years several Arab states have rekindled relationships with Syria, pushing for the country to reintegrate into the regional fold.
On 27 December 2018, the UAE announced the reopening of its embassy in Damascus. Bahrain and Jordan have also reopened their embassies in Syria.
In October of 2020, Oman appointed an ambassador to Syria, fully reestablishing its diplomatic presence in the country.
Meanwhile, last year Jordan’s King Abdullah II held his first phone conversation with President Assad in a decade, despite the Hashemite kingdom having been used as a training ground for US-backed Salafist militias who were involved in the fight against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
According to reports, Saudi Arabia, who have been notorious for the funding and arming of rebel groups in Syria throughout the last decade, have sent intelligence officials to meet with their Syrian counterparts, despite no official call from the kingdom to restore its relations with Damascus.
One of the topics of discussion at the upcoming 37th Arab League Summit in Algeria will be Syria’s readmission into the league.
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