Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Oman's Minister of Interior Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidi signed a maritime border demarcation agreement on Tuesday, IRNA reported.
The agreement delimits the sea border between the two countries which stretches 450 kilometers. It was the first boundary delimitation accord between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
A joint statement released to the media reads, "The agreement on delimitation was reached thanks to good historical relations and mutual respect as well as reciprocal cooperation and understanding… and it is (formulated) based on related international regulations and in a fair manner so that the rights of both sides are preserved." Zarif told reporters on Tuesday the border accord will help "promote and deepen bilateral relations," adding that the Islamic Republic is keen to have similar relations with other neighboring countries, especially in the Persian Gulf region.
In a separate meeting with his Omani counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah on the same day, in which the two officials discussed bilateral and regional issues, Zarif criticized the adoption of "one-sided approaches toward solving the crisis in Yemen," noting that such approaches ignore the needs of a significant segment of the masses.
Voicing concern over the continuation of Saudi-led airstrikes against the crisis-hit country, the foreign minister said the attacks have damaged the country in an "irreparable way." He also renewed Tehran's appeal for effective international efforts to find solutions to the Yemen crisis, secure a permanent ceasefire and streamline humanitarian aid to the war-affected nation.
Zarif leading a delegation left Tehran on Tuesday for a one-day trip to Muscat, before visiting Kuwait City where the senior diplomat is to take part in the 42nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states on May 27-28.
