Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi spoke to Omani Foreign Minister Yosef bin Alawi bin Abdullah on Monday and agreed to work on strengthening the relationship between Israel and Oman.

“Earlier today I spoke with Omani Foreign Minister Yosef bin Alawi bin Abdullah,” Ashkenazi stated. “We spoke about recent developments in the region, the normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates and the need to strengthen relations between Israel and Oman.”

“The Omani Foreign Minister emphasized the strong stance of the Sultan and his supports achieving of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East as well as the need to resume peace negotiations.”

“I expressed my deep appreciation for the commitment of Oman and Foreign Minister bin Ali to peace and stability in the Middle East. We agreed to maintain direct and continual contact and to continue the important dialogue between our two countries, to advance the process of normalization in the Middle East.”

“This conversation is the continuation of a conversation I had yesterday with my counterpart from the UAE, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ben Zayed,” Ashkenazi concluded.

Although Israel and Oman do not currently maintain diplomatic relations, there has been talks between the two countries in recent years.

In 2018, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu secretly visited Oman and met with the late ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who invited Netanyahu after lengthy negotiations between the two countries, the first since 1996.

Netanyahu was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Mossad head Yossi Cohen, National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabat, Foreign Ministry Director-General Yuval Rotem, Chief of Staff Yoav Horowitz and Military Secretary Brigadier General Avi Balot.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)