TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has held talks and exchanged views with his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi over the phone and hoped to pay a visit to the Omani capital as soon as possible. 

During the conversation, the two officials underlined the need to continue consultations over different bilateral and international issues, the Iranian foreign ministry said. 

Amir Abdollahian extended the greetings of the Iranian president to Oman’s sultan. He also discussed with the top Omani diplomat different bilateral issues and also the settlement of regional crises through dialog among regional nations. The Iranian foreign minister expressed hope that he will have the opportunity to visit Muscat as soon as possible.

The Omani foreign minister also hailed good relations between the two countries. Albusaidi said the Sultanate of Oman always believes in dialog and talks as the means to resolve different crises and moves on the path of peace.

The conversation came after Iran and Oman held strategic consultations during a visit by senior Omani diplomat to Tehran. 

Senior diplomats from Iran and Oman held the eighth round of strategic consolations in the framework of a joint committee between the two countries in Tehran in late December. 

The committee, formally known as the Joint Committee for Strategic Consultations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Sultanate of Oman, was formed to facilitate diplomatic dialogue and consultation between Tehran and Muscat. 

The eighth meeting of the joint committee was co-chaired by Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs and his Omani counterpart Sheikh Khalifa al-Harthy.

Referring to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the two countries, the two sides expressed satisfaction with the level of relations and efforts to develop it on the basis of mutual trust.

Emphasizing the need to resolve regional issues by the countries of the region, Bagheri expressed hope that the existing problems would be resolved through dialogue between the countries of the region, according to ISNA.

Al-Harthy, referring to Iran's pivotal role in the region, said that his country, as in the past, is interested in developing bilateral and regional relations and considers peaceful paths necessary for peace and tranquility in the region.

In addition to bilateral issues, the two sides discussed various regional and international issues, including the Vienna talks, the need for a political solution to the crisis in Yemen, and the region's need for dialogue.

Al-Harthy said, “Iran-Oman relations had regional and trans-regional influences and will continue.”

At the end of the meeting, the minutes of the eighth meeting of the Strategic Consultation Committee of Iran and Oman were signed by the deputy foreign ministers of the two countries.

The Omani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that during the meeting, Bagheri and al-Harthy discussed aspects of cooperation between the two countries, especially the economic, investment and trade exchange aspects.

The statement also said that al-Harthy met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the sidelines of his visit to Tehran. “This meeting emphasized the importance of Omani–Iranian relations and the importance of meetings and consultations to exchange views on topics and issues of common interest to both countries and the region as a whole,” it said of the meeting with Amir Abdollahian.

In this meeting, Amir Abdollahian said improving and expanding relations with neighbors is a priority of the foreign policy of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's administration. He also emphasized the significance of Oman's special position among neighbors, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Amir Abdollahian also stressed the need for Iran and Oman to work to enhance the volume of trade between the two countries at the level of friendly relations.