MNA – Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah told the media after his trilateral meeting with Iranian and Indian FMs that his country is determined to broaden ties with Iran.


“Muscat attaches great importance to the friendly ties between Tehran and countries of America, Europe, and region,” said Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the Foreign Minister of Oman, after articulating the big desire of his country for having expanded relations with Iran.

The Omani diplomat made the remark after his Saturday trilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. The three top diplomats met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“We seriously allocate a great deal of importance to the JCPOA and believe that the agreement reached should be preserved,” underlined the Omani minister when he was asked about Oman’s stance on the nuclear deal of July 14, 2015, between Iran and the 5+1 group of countries.

When asked about Oman’s mediation in the talks between Tehran and other states, he said that his government will do it again if they deem it necessary.

“Naturally we have friendly, expanded, beneficial, and intimate ties with Iran and India,” said the foreign minister when questioned about the content of the trilateral talks, “We discussed diverse areas of issues especially to tap Iran’s resources of natural gas in this meeting.”

He then noted that the problems to lay gas pipes beneath the deep waters of the Oman Sea and the Indian Ocean were also discussed in the meeting. He said the talks on this issue will be continued by the three countries.

The three foreign ministers discussed strategies to expand their cooperation in the area of energy, trade, and regional cooperation.