Haitham bin Tarik, the Sultan of Oman, just completed a two-day state visit to China which concluded with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders signed a joint 20-point statement which, among other things, called on the U.S. and Iran to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the ceasefire agreement that the presidents of those two countries signed on June 17.
“Oman and China call for resolving differences through political and diplomatic means. They encourage the United States and Iran to pursue peaceful options, achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, prevent war in all its forms, return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and resume dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, with a view to reaching a comprehensive agreement covering the nuclear issue,” the statement announced. “The two sides consider it necessary to restore normal and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and agree to maintain communication on matters concerning the Strait.”
The statement similarly called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen “to prioritize the interests of the Yemeni people, resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and resume the political settlement process at the earliest opportunity.”
More broadly, the two sides expressed their commitment “to upholding the international system centered on the United Nations, the international order based on international law and the basic norms governing international relations founded on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.” The rest of the statement mainly covered matters related to improving bilateral relations between the two sides.
This was the first visit of a sultan of Oman to China since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1978. President Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to deepen the alignment of development strategies with Oman, turning the two countries into stable and reliable partners in energy, partners with great potential in investment, and partners in high-tech innovation, reported the Global Times.