The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Sultanate of Oman issued today a joint statement. Following is the text of the statement: Emanating from brotherly ties and bonds between the leaderships of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman and the two brotherly peoples, and in a bid to enhance distinguished relations between the two countries and at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of the Sultanate of Oman paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on July 11 and 12, 2021. A discussion session was held between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. They reviewed cooperation aspects and means to develop them in various fields, praising what has been realized of cooperation and coordination in the political, military and security fields, to achieve security and stability for the two countries. The two sides welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding establishing a Saudi-Omani Coordination Council under the presidency of the foreign ministers of the two countries to enhance their bilateral ties at all levels. They also agreed to direct concerned authorities to speed up procedures of opening the direct land road and the border crossing that will contribute to increasing ease of movement of both countries' citizens and the integration of supply chains in a bid to realize the envisioned economic integration between the two countries. The two sides also welcomed the effective communication between ministers in both countries in discussing issues of mutual interest, and directed to exert efforts to sign several agreements and memorandums of understanding between Riyadh and Muscat to enhance cooperation in various economic, trade, investment, security, cultural, diplomatic and educational fields and in any field that can boost joint benefits and interests for the prosperity and progress of the two peoples. They expressed willingness to increase the level of economic cooperation between the two countries through stimulating the public and private sectors to reach qualitative commercial and investment exchanges that can achieve the aspirations of the two peoples and contribute to realizing the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 and Omani Vision 2040 through launching a set of joint initiatives that include main cooperation fields, such as investments in Al-Duqm area, cooperation in the energy field and partnership in the food security, as well as cooperation in cultural, sport and tourist activities. The two sides welcomed holding the Saudi-Omani Business Council virtually on July 4, 2021 with the participation of the Chairman of the Federation of Saudi Chambers and Chairman of the Omani Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Co-Chairs of the Saudi-Omani Business Council. This will further boost direct and indirect investment opportunities between both countries' private sectors, increasing exchanging visits between business persons, holding conventions and exhibitions and establishing economic projects in the two countries. The two sides stressed the need to enhance cooperation in the fields of environment, food security and the Middle East Green Initiative that was announced by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, for its benefits at the local, regional and international levels. The two sides praised the efforts of OPEC +, under the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and with participation of the Sultanate of Oman, which led to the stability and balance of oil markets despite the weak demand that hit markets due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic waves that still affect a large part of the world. They stressed the importance of continuing cooperation to support the stability of oil markets. Saudi Arabia and Oman welcomed enhancing cooperation on applying the Circular Carbon Economy Approach that the G20 endorsed as a comprehensive and holistic framework to address challenges of gas emissions that cause global warming, and managing such gases through available technologies, for its being an approach that represents an economic sustainable method to manage emissions through its four factors of reduce, reuse, recycle and remove. The two sides highlighted the importance of adopting renewable energy resources and their technologies for their contribution to sustaining the energy supplies internationally. They also agreed on directing concerned authorities to study mutual investment opportunities in advanced technologies, innovation, energy and renewable energy projects, industry, health fields, pharmaceuticals, real estate development, tourism, petrochemicals, transformative industries, supply chains, logistic partnership, IT and financial technologies that can benefit both countries, taking into consideration the available potential opportunities. They welcomed the participation of Saudi companies in investing in qualitative projects that Oman seeks to achieve. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, where they stressed working on coordinating positions in a way that serves their interests and supports security and stability in the region and the world. Regarding Yemen, the two sides reiterated that they have matching points of view regarding continuing efforts to find a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis based on the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive Yemeni national dialogue, the UN Security Council resolution No. 2216 and the Saudi Initiative to end the Yemeni crisis, to alleviate human sufferings of the Yemeni people. They also stressed the importance of cooperation and dealing in a serious and effective manner with the Iranian nuclear and missile issue with all its components in a way that contributes to realizing regional and international security and stability, urging the need to commit to good neighborly principles and respecting UN and international legitimacy resolutions, and sparing the region all activities that undermine stability. Sultan Haitham bin Tarik invited the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to visit Oman, where the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud expressed appreciation and welcome for the invitation. At the conclusion of the visit, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik expressed deepest appreciation for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, for the warm welcome and generous hospitality. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud expressed his best wishes to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and steady progress and prosperity for the Omani people.
