Kabul, Muscat vow to strengthen ties

KABUL and Oman have decided to develop a memorandum of understanding on establishing a joint commission to work for a cooperation framework in various fields, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.

The decision came during Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul’s visit to Muscat, capital of Oman, where he held discussions with Oman top officials on expanding and strengthening bilateral relations, his ministry said in a statement.

Rassoul conveyed President Hamid Karzai’s cordial greetings to Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Timor, the Sultan of Oman, during separate meetings with Khalid bin Helal Albu Saeedi, the Sultanate’s Court Minister, Fahad bin Mahmood Al Saeed, Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman Yusufbin Alawaibin Abdullah.

They talked about strengthening relations between Afghanistan and Oman and achievements and problems facing Afghanistan. Rassoul said Afghanistan was passing through a critical phase of its history. He added Afghanistan was assuming all security responsibilities as foreign troops were withdrawing by 2014.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, however, said there was an opportunity for Afghanistan to establish more, better and durable relations with regional countries, including Sultante of Oman.

Rassoul said Afghanistan could serve a base for regional development and better economic progress due to its geographical location and natural resources.

He called extremism and terrorism harmful for Pakistan and the region at large, saying the twin scourges posed serious threat to the economy and life of the people of Pakistan and regional countries.

“While the world is flourishing and developing, the people of these countries are being killed and are deprived of having God’s blessings,” he said.

Sultanate’s Court Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Oman welcomed the establishment of strong and good relations with Afghanistan.

They said stability and development of Afghan brothers was an immediate need, calling insecurity in Pakistan, Iraq, Syria and a number of other Islamic countries catastrophic.

They said the situation in these countries was regrettable and its negative impact had been realised by the whole Islamic world. They said the problems of these countries should be solved with regional cooperation and integration.

pr/ma

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