Sayyid Badr receives two letters from Iranian Foreign Minister
The two letters were delivered by Mousa Farhang, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Sultanate of Oman, during a reception held on Monday by the Foreign Minister at the Ministry's General Diwan.
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Times of Oman
4 hours ago
- Times of Oman
State Council concludes second regular session
Muscat: Based on the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, the State Council has concluded the work of the second regular session of its eighth term. His Excellency Khalid bin Ahmed Al Saadi, Secretary-General of the State Council, confirmed that this session witnessed intensive legislative activity, with the Council discussing several specialised draft laws aligned with current national priorities and citizens' aspirations. The Council also fulfilled its legislative role by reviewing a number of key national study proposals. His Excellency highlighted the Council's accomplishments, stating that the session reflected a comprehensive set of legislative activities demonstrating the Council's commitment to its national duties. Fourteen draft laws were discussed, along with amendments to existing legislation across sectors such as the economy, education, health, and technology. These discussions aimed to enhance the investment climate, improve social services, and reinforce national development. He noted that the Council's standing committees were particularly active, holding multiple meetings to address priority topics and preparing key recommendations for general sessions. Open forums were also organised with civil society representatives, experts, and officials to enhance public participation in decision-making and encourage cross-sector collaboration. During this session, the Council held eight general sessions and reviewed 18 topics. Among the draft laws discussed were those related to electronic transactions, public health, financial legislation, individual income tax, and the regulation of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. The discussions featured constructive input from members, with in-depth debates exploring legislative aspects of each proposal. Two joint sessions were also held with the Shura Council to resolve differences in specific articles of draft laws. These sessions concluded with consensus on all disputed points, reflecting national unity and public interest. The Council's office held six meetings, reviewed 60 topics, and issued 45 decisions, focusing on session organisation, committee coordination, member proposals, and administrative matters. Three meetings were also held with heads and rapporteurs of permanent committees to strengthen legislative coordination and align with government frameworks. In line with Article (77) of the Law of the Council of Oman, the Council of Ministers also met with the Chairman and members of the Council's office during the session. Standing committees held 72 main meetings and 90 sub-meetings, hosting 45 representatives from public and private sector entities. Special committees held 27 main and 3 sub-meetings, hosting state officials to support their studies. Additionally, 11 joint committee meetings were held with the Shura Council to review specific draft law provisions. Externally, the Council maintained its presence in regional and international forums, participating in conferences, parliamentary events, and global seminars. These included meetings of GCC legislative bodies, the Arab Parliament, the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and others. The Council's international participation helped enhance Oman's global legislative standing, reaffirmed its commitment to democratic values and human rights, and supported its positions in international forums. Domestically, the Council prioritised coordination with national institutions, hosting ministers and senior officials who presented detailed reports on institutional performance, policy implementation, and project indicators. These sessions facilitated dialogue and performance assessment. Concluding the session, His Excellency noted that several significant draft laws were approved, reinforcing the Council's legislative engagement and its commitment to national development. He reaffirmed the Council's dedication to continuing this work in future sessions in service of Oman and its comprehensive development goals.
Times of Oman
16 hours ago
- Times of Oman
UN strongly condemns resumption of Houthi attacks on civilian vessels transiting Red Sea
New York: The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, strongly condemned the resumption of Houthi attacks on civilian vessels transiting the Red Sea, especially the attacks that took place on July 6-8. ''The sinking of both the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, along with the deaths of at least four crew members and injuries to others, is a dangerous re-escalation in this critical waterway,'' said Guterres in a statement attributed to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. With at least 15 crew members reported missing, he calls on the Houthis not to take any actions that impede the ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing crew. Beyond being an unacceptable attack on the safety and security of seafarers, these acts also violated the freedom of navigation, caused a hazard to maritime transport, and represent a serious risk of significant environmental, economic, and humanitarian damage to an already vulnerable coastal environment. The Secretary-General emphasised that international law must be respected by all parties at all times. He also underscored that UN Security Council resolution 2768 (2025) related to Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels must be fully respected. The United Nations remains committed to continuing its efforts towards broader de-escalation in the region as well as continued engagement with Yemeni, regional, and international actors to secure a sustainable and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
Times of Oman
16 hours ago
- Times of Oman
MEA report 2024 highlights India's key diplomatic engagements, achievements
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has released its annual report for 2024, highlighting India's key diplomatic engagements and achievements. According to the report, India's foreign policy demonstrated "vibrancy and pragmatism" in advancing national interests amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. In the year 2024, India engaged actively with the world in advancing its national interests amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. Indian foreign policy demonstrated vibrancy and pragmatism, yielding significant achievements that also enhanced India's global stature and goodwill, the Ministry of External Affairs wrote in its annual report 2024 on Friday. Bilateral engagements with like-minded partners were complemented by India's proactive initiatives and leadership in plurilateral and multilateral platforms. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) played a pivotal role in steering India's foreign policy and global diplomacy towards pragmatic goals, it added. India remained steadfast in expanding its strategic autonomy, championing meaningful reforms of multilateral institutions, addressing the priorities of the Global South, and safeguarding its security within the framework of the rules-based international order. These efforts underscored India's commitment to shaping a more equitable and inclusive global governance framework. The year witnessed continuing economic fluctuations, climate change impacts, geopolitical tensions, and social disruptions, with persistent challenges on global health and environmental fronts. India remained actively engaged on the global stage, addressing major global challenges through high-level discussions and collaborations. This included strengthening partnerships bilaterally and active participation in notable regional and global groupings such as the UN, G20, G7, Quad, SCO, and BRICS. By virtue of being the preceding G20 President, India continued to work with Brazil under the Troika grouping (India, Brazil, and South Africa). Building on the work done during India's G20 Presidency, Brazil identified three priorities for 2024, which broadly involved social inclusion, energy transition, and the reform of multilateral governance institutions. The report notes that India remained actively engaged on the global stage, addressing major global challenges through high-level discussions and collaborations. The MEA report highlighted PM Modi's participation in the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November. Prime Minister's interventions were widely appreciated across the spectrum of developed and developing countries for being human-centric, constructive, and development-oriented. This was also the first G20 Summit in which the African Union participated as a permanent member, following its inclusion at the New Delhi G20 Summit in September 2023. In August, India hosted the 3rd edition of the Voice of Global South Summit in virtual format under the overarching theme 'An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future,' MEA stated. India also hosted the 3rd edition of the Voice of Global South Summit, which saw the participation of 173 dignitaries from 123 Global South countries. During the summit, PM Modi proposed a "global development compact" to promote sustainable development in the Global South--the compact focuses on trade, capacity building, technology sharing, and financial support. The report highlights India's commitment to combating terrorism, with the country collaborating actively with the global community to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. India also reinforced its credentials as a reliable "first responder" in crises, undertaking three major Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations during the year. Earlier in June, the Prime Minister participated in the Outreach Session of the G7 Summit in Italy, where he engaged with global leaders on key global challenges. At the summit, PM Modi emphasised that technology must be guided by a human-centric approach, highlighting India's success in leveraging digital advancements for public service delivery. He underscored India's commitment to "AI for All," advocating for AI's role in fostering global progress and well-being. He also stressed the importance of prioritising the concerns of the Global South, particularly Africa, recalling India's role in securing the African Union's permanent membership in the G20, as per the report. PM Modi also held discussions with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni on further strengthening the India-Italy Strategic Partnership. Throughout the year, India collaborated actively with the global community to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and worked with partner countries towards capacity-building, best practices exchange, and information sharing in the counter-terrorism domain. During the year, India participated in various Counterterrorism Working Groups, engaging with its partners on combating the menace of terrorism, including within the Quad grouping and with France, Kazakhstan, and Australia. The FATF (Financial Action Task Force) Mutual Evaluation of India culminated with the FATF Plenary at Singapore in June, wherein India's report was finalised, and the FATF Plenary concluded that India had reached a high level of technical compliance with the FATF requirements. This indicated that India's anti-money laundering, counter terror financing, and Counter Proliferation Financing (CPF) regime was achieving effective results. India reinforced its credentials as a reliable 'first responder' in crises, both in its neighbourhood and beyond, by undertaking three major Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations during the year. These operations included Operation Indravati in Haiti, a special Humanitarian Airlift Operation in Kuwait, and Operation Sadbhav in Myanmar. Apart from these operations, India provided HADR assistance to more than 20 countries during the year. The report further emphasised that Operation Indravati, which was launched in March to evacuate Indian nationals from Haiti amidst civil unrest. In June, a special Humanitarian Airlift Operation was conducted in Kuwait to repatriate the mortal remains of 45 deceased Indian nationals. In September, Operation Sadbhav was launched to extend emergency humanitarian assistance in the wake of the floods caused by Typhoon Yagi in Myanmar. Apart from these operations, India provided HADR assistance to more than 20 countries during the year. In 2024, India also continued to provide its humanitarian assistance to conflict zones in West Asia. India supplied anti-cancer medicines to Syria and coordinated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to supply 30 tons of humanitarian aid and essential life-saving drugs for the people of Palestine. In July, India rescued nine crew, including eight Indians, in a joint search and rescue operation with the Omani authorities from MT Prestige Falcon, a Comoros-flagged vessel that capsized off the coast of Oman. During the year, India also marked several significant diplomatic milestones, celebrating decades of ties with partner countries. These milestones reflected India's continued commitment to nurturing historic and evolving partnerships. Overall, the MEA report highlights India's growing global stature and goodwill, with the country's diplomatic efforts yielding significant achievements in advancing national interests and promoting global cooperation.
