ASTANA – Kazakhstan intensified diplomatic engagement in the Gulf last week as Iran and Oman moved to restore safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Photo credit: AbdullahAlMaani / Wikimedia Commons Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arman Issagaliyev held talks in Oman and the United Arab Emirates and attended an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah on Aug.
27. Issagaliyev met Oman’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalifa Al-Harthy. The officials discussed bilateral relations, regional and international topics, high-level visits and preparations for the second round of political consultations between the two foreign ministries in Astana.
Issagaliyev also met First Deputy Chairman of the Oman Investment Authority Mulham Al-Jarf to discuss joint projects and expand business ties, the Foreign Ministry’s press service reported. Particular attention was paid to the development of transport and logistics cooperation, including the potential use of Oman’s port infrastructure to expand access for Kazakh products to the markets of the Gulf countries and the Indian Ocean.
In Abu Dhabi, Issagaliyev met UAE officials to discuss political, trade, investment and consular cooperation. The officials also discussed Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish an International Organization for Water Resources and preparations for the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi in December.
In Jeddah, Issagaliyev attended the OIC’s 23rd Extraordinary Session on Palestine. Kazakhstan called for a political settlement and reaffirmed support for humanitarian assistance and Gaza’s reconstruction, as well as an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The session adopted a resolution on Palestine and elected a new OIC Secretary-General.