MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has met Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who is in Moscow on a state visit, in the St. George's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, a TASS correspondent reports.
This is the first-ever meeting between the two heads of state. Prior to that, they had spoken on the phone in March 2023, the first high-level bilateral contact between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
As part of the official welcoming ceremony, Putin met the honored guest in the center of St. George's Hall, where the flags of Russia and Oman were hung. Shaking hands, the leaders listened to the national anthems of their countries in the presence of their delegations.
According to the Omani News Agency, the sultan’s delegation includes Deputy Chairman of the Council of Defense Ministers Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment Qais bin Mohammed Al-Yousef, Chairman of the Oman Sovereign Wealth Fund Abdel Salam al-Murshidi and other senior officials. The visit is timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1985).
Haitham bin Tariq Al Said arrived in the Russian capital on April 21. Shortly after his arrival, according to tradition, he laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden.