London – Oman and the United Kingdom reviewed their strategic partnership and exchanged views on key regional developments during talks in London between Foreign Minister H E Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Monday.
The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation across political, economic, development and investment fields. Discussions included a follow-up on the work of the Strategic Dialogue Team and the Joint Working Group, and consensus to continue implementing programmes and agreed frameworks in support of shared interests.
On regional issues, the ministers discussed developments in Yemen, Sudan and Iran. They stressed the importance of supporting efforts to stabilise the truce in Yemen and promote comprehensive political dialogue to safeguard the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The situation in the Gaza Strip was also reviewed. The two ministers emphasised the need to intensify humanitarian efforts to ease the suffering of civilians, while stepping up international action to secure a permanent ceasefire, support reconstruction and revive the peace process based on the two-state solution and establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
On Iran, the ministers stressed the need to create conditions that would restore the diplomatic track on the nuclear issue and allow negotiations to resume, with the aim of reducing regional tensions and avoiding escalation.
They also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, pointing out the need for a cessation of hostilities and a truce that would enable UN relief agencies to operate and help pave the way towards political consensus among the parties to the conflict.
