• Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Sultan Haitham on his arrival at NEOM Bay Airport
• Two-day visit to the Kingdom to involve wide-ranging talks

Arab News

RIYADH: Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and King Salman held talks on Sunday in NEOM during the Omani leader’s official visit to Saudi Arabia.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Sultan Haitham on his arrival at NEOM Bay Airport.

The king welcomed Sultan Haitham and his delegation, while the sultan expressed his happiness to visit the Kingdom and meet King Salman.

The leaders then held an official session of talks during which they reviewed “the historical and well-established fraternal relations” between their countries, and discussed prospects for joint cooperation in various fields.

The talks were held in the presence of Prince Mohammed  and attended by Interior Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

The Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi also attended the meeting.

King Salman then hosted a luncheon in honor of Sultan Haitham and his delegation.

King Salman awarded Sultan Haitham with the Order of King Abdul Aziz whilst the sultan awarded the king with the Order of Al-Said, the highest order of Oman.

Immediately after Sultan Haitham disembarked the plane, the Saudi Hawks aerobatic team gave an air show in which the colors of the Omani flag were painted in the sky, and the Saudi artillery fired 21 rounds to welcome his arrival.

An official reception ceremony was held where the national anthems of the two countries were played.

The leader of Oman began his journay from sultanate to Saudi Arabia earlier on Sunday for his two-day visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of King Salman for wide-ranging talks.

“The visit comes within the framework of strengthening the historical and fraternal relations between the leaderships of the two countries,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. “It also aims to expand the prospects of joint cooperation and ways to develop them in various fields for the interest and steady progress of the peoples of the two countries.”

SPA added that the visit is intended to “strengthen the deep historical bonds” between the two countries, “and to explore new areas of cooperation — particularly in the fields of trade, infrastructure and development.”

Sultan Haitham is being accompanied by senior ministers and diplomats, including Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al-Said, Interior Minister Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al-Busaidi.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said the visit would raise the level of coordination and partnership in various fields and strengthen bilateral and joint economic cooperation.

On Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Middle East Green Initiative that was announced in March, Al-Jubeir said: “Sultan Haitham bin Tariq expressed Oman’s support for all the efforts made by the Kingdom in this regard, which came during his discussion with the crown prince on the environmental challenges facing the region and their economic, social and health impacts.”

Al-Jubeir also said that the Kingdom and Oman worked successfully to address the coronavirus pandemic through joint work, cooperation and coordination via the GCC’s Health Council, and this had a great impact in controlling the spread of the virus and limiting its repercussions.

GCC secretary-general Nayef Al-Hajraf, said the visit is an embodiment of the historical and solid ties that bind the two countries, and comes to enhance the common hopes and aspirations of the two peoples.

He said the visit “reflects the exceptional relations between them.”

He said the visit would consolidate the depth of the deep-rooted relations between the two countries.