Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says Arabs need to lay the foundations for political relations in the interest of peoples, stressing that the Arab society is in need of changing its political approach and thinking.
The Syrian president made the remarks during a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood al-Busaidi and his accompanying delegation in the capital Damascus on Monday.
Assad said such a new political approach and thinking should be based on “our interests and our position on the international arena,” Syria’s officials SANA news agency reported.
The Syrian leader also noted that Syria and Oman enjoy mutual understanding and close visions regarding the latest Arab and regional developments, and issues of mutual concern. Assad further praised the balanced role of the Sultanate of Oman, its principled policies and stance toward Syria, and its support for Syrians in their war against foreign-backed terrorism.
The Omani foreign minister, for his part, conveyed the greetings of Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to the Syrian president.
Al-Busaidi hailed Syria as a crucial player in the Arab world, saying Damascus’ strong and courageous policies and positions “make reliance on it great in facing the challenges that surround us.”
Earlier in the day, the Omani foreign minister met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad.
Oman was one of the few Arab states to maintain diplomatic ties with Damascus after the breakout of the conflict in Syria in March 2011 in spite of pressure from the United States and other Persian Gulf allies to act otherwise.
The country was also the first Persian Gulf state to reinstate its ambassador to Syria in November 2020.