
King of Bhutan Receives Sayyid Badr
Thimphu: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of the Kingdom of Bhutan received on Monday Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, at the Royal Palace in the capital city Thimphu.
The Foreign Minister conveyed the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the King of Bhutan, along with His Majesty's best wishes to him of continued good health and wellbeing.
He also conveyed His Majesty's wishes for further progress and prosperity for the friendly Bhutanese people and for the steady growth and fruitful cooperation in Omani-Bhutanese relations.
In his turn, the King of Bhutan asked the Foreign Minister to convey his heartfelt sentiments and appreciation to His Majesty the Sultan, wishing him continued success. He wished the Omani people further prosperity and progress. The King of Bhutan also wished the bilateral relations further development and prosperity.
The meeting was attended by Abdulsalam Mohammed Al Murshidi, Chairman of Oman Investment Authority (OIA), Sheikh Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Hinai, Ambassador-at-Large, Essa Saleh Al Sheibani, Oman's Ambassador to the Republic of India and non-resident Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bhutan, alongside several officials from the Foreign Ministry.
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