Belgium, Iran Conduct Prisoner Swap in Oman

General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
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Belgium, Iran Conduct Prisoner Swap in Oman

General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike

A Belgian aid worker jailed in Iran and an Iranian diplomat imprisoned in Belgium were freed on Friday in an exchange mediated by Oman, both sides said.

Oman's Foreign Ministry said that “those released were transferred from Tehran and Brussels to Muscat today, Friday, in preparation for their return to their countries.” It added that "the Sultanate of Oman appreciated the high positive spirit that prevailed in the talks in Muscat between the Iranian and Belgian sides, and their keenness to settle this humanitarian issue.”

Aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested on a visit to Iran in February 2022 and sentenced in January to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying.

Iranian diplomat Asadollah Assadi was convicted in Belgium in 2021 in connection with a foiled bomb plot in France and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Both countries rejected the charges against their citizen as fabricated.

"As I speak, Belgium's Olivier Vandecasteele is on his way to Belgium. If all goes to plan, he'll be with us this evening. Free at last," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in on Friday.

"Last night Olivier was flown to Oman where he was looked after by a team of Belgian soldiers and diplomats. This morning he underwent a number of medical examinations to assess his state of health and to enable him to return in the best possible conditions", De Croo added.

Iranian state TV reported that Assadi had arrived back in Tehran and showed him sitting with officials including government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi.

Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said is scheduled to travel to Iran on Sunday for a two-day visit.



Saudi Arabia Welcomes Hosting of Trump-Putin Summit

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Hosting of Trump-Putin Summit

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia commended on Friday the telephone call that took place between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

The Kingdom welcomes the announcement of the possibility of holding a summit attended by both presidents in Saudi Arabia, said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Saudi Arabia underscored its ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.

It highlighted the telephone calls by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 3, 2022, during which he stressed the Kingdom's readiness to provide its good offices to reach a political solution to the crisis.

Over the past three years, the Kingdom continued these efforts, which included hosting numerous meetings on this issue, said the statement.