Saudi Arabia, Oman Agree to Maintain Coordination over Regional Issues

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi meet in Muscat on Monday. (ONA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi meet in Muscat on Monday. (ONA)
TT
20

Saudi Arabia, Oman Agree to Maintain Coordination over Regional Issues

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi meet in Muscat on Monday. (ONA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi meet in Muscat on Monday. (ONA)

Saudi Arabia and Oman said on Monday they were determined to hold the first meeting of their coordination council during 2023.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi held consultative talks in Muscat on Monday aimed at tackling regional challenges and ways to address them through peaceful means.

They stressed the Kingdom and Sultanate's continued coordination over regional affairs and constructive cooperation in their foreign ministries.

In a statement, Prince Faisal said the activation of the Saudi-Omani coordination council is an important mechanism that will bolster bilateral cooperation between the neighbors, especially in trade and investment.

He described as positive the meeting he held with Albusaidi, underscoring the strong and close ties shared between Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The relations are witnessing development in several fields and initiatives to implement major projects that would strengthen the economic integration between them, he added.

The FM’s discussed the unique bilateral relations between their countries and opportunities of bilateral cooperation in various domains, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

They also exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments.



Mediator Qatar Says Israel ‘Did Not Abide’ by Gaza Truce Deal

 Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
TT
20

Mediator Qatar Says Israel ‘Did Not Abide’ by Gaza Truce Deal

 Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said Thursday that Israel had failed to respect January’s ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“As you know, we reached an agreement months ago, but unfortunately Israel did not abide by this agreement,” said the ruler of Qatar, a key mediator of the deal.

A truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar with Egypt and the United States, came into force on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting triggered by Palestinian fighters’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The initial phase of the truce ended in early March, with the two sides unable to agree on the next steps. Israel resumed air and ground attacks across the Gaza Strip on March 18 after earlier halting the entry of aid.

Israel said Wednesday that it had converted 30 percent of Gaza into a buffer zone in the widening offensive.

Sheikh Tamim said Qatar would “strive to bridge perspectives in order to reach an agreement that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza.”

Putin recognized Qatar’s “serious efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict” and called deaths in the conflict “a tragedy.”

“A long-term settlement can only be achieved on the basis of the UN resolution and first of all connected to the establishment of two states,” he added.

Israel’s renewed assault has so far killed at least 1,691 people in Gaza, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reported, bringing the overall toll since the war erupted to 51,065, most of them civilians.

Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.