Top Oman diplomat meets al-Assad in rare Syria visit

Oman's top diplomat met Sunday (July 7th) with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in the Gulf official's second visit to Syria since conflict broke out in 2011, AFP reported.

Al-Assad met with Oman's state minister for foreign affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah to discuss bilateral relations and regional security, Oman’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that bin Abdullah also met with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem.

Oman is one of the few Arab states to have maintained ties with Damascus over the past eight years.

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 for its deadly crackdown on an uprising against al-Assad’s rule, and fellow Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, have supported the opposition.

Oman's Sultan Qaboos adheres to a strict policy of non-interference in regional affairs, maintaining relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran -- a key backer of al-Assad.

Bin Abdullah last visited Damascus in 2015.

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