Omani Foreign Minister Badr Bin Hamad Al-Busaidi described Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik's recent visit to Saudi Arabia as historic and highlighted its significant strategic impact on both bilateral and regional relations. He made the remarks during an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette after the last week's Saudi-Omani summit, which heralded a new phase of the enhanced economic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman. "We were all impressed by the warmth of the meeting, the generosity of reception and the spontaneous affection that we experienced, which is of course not alien to the Saudi leadership and its brotherly people," he said. Al-Busaidi expected that the coming period would witness major developments with regard to the implementation of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and Oman's Vision 2040 so as to achieve the common goals of cooperation and integration between the two countries. "There are a lot of efforts required to follow up on the implementation of the decisions and directives of the leadership of the two countries," he said. According to the minister, the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council will serve as an umbrella and a central reference for strengthening cooperation between the governments of the two countries as well as for the follow-up on the signing of many agreements and memoranda of understanding in areas that serve common interests. "This will cement the building block that unites the two countries out of the keenness of the leadership within the GCC system." Al-Busaidi stressed that the Sultanate faces a very big challenge in realizing the goals of Oman's Vision 2040. "We are optimistic about the future, thanks to the decisiveness of our leadership." He emphasized the importance of social justice and the need to strengthen it both internally and externally. While expressing concern over the suffering of the Yemeni people, the minister pledged his country's support for all efforts and endeavors to restore peace in the country. He noted that the logistics sector is one of the most important avenues of cooperation and partnership between the two countries, especially with the expected historic opening of the first direct land border crossing between the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom. "I visualize that there will be mutual strategic benefits stemming from the geographical location of the two neighboring countries and their interconnected markets. We look to the future with great optimism and greater interaction for the benefit of all," he added.
