Oman and Liberia sign joint statement establishing diplomatic relations

Oman and Liberia have established diplomatic relations through a joint statement signed by their foreign ministers, Oman's Foreign Ministry said in a report published on November 10. The signing accompanied talks on economic cooperation and regional and international affairs.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi received his Liberian counterpart, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, for the meeting. The ministry described the statement as an expression of both countries' wish to develop their friendship and extend cooperation into more areas.

Times of Oman carried a Muscat dateline, but the exact meeting date was unclear. Its November 9 report and the ministry's November 10 account each described the reception as taking place that day, leaving a one-day discrepancy between the accounts.

Economic ties featured in the discussions, including ways to encourage contact between private businesses in the two countries. The ministers also considered exchanges of expertise. Neither account identified a particular commercial project or detailed an economic commitment arising from the meeting.

The concrete diplomatic step was the signing of the joint statement; the economic agenda was described in terms of cooperation and contacts. The reports gave no details of a separate trade agreement or a programme for implementing the business discussions.

On regional and international affairs, the ministers stressed dialogue and negotiations as ways to address disputes peacefully, according to the ministry. They also affirmed respect for national sovereignty and international law. The account did not identify specific disputes discussed at the meeting.

A separate Foreign Ministry account, also published on November 10, reported a telephone conversation between the ministers. It said Nyanti called Al Busaidi and that their discussion covered regional developments as well as opportunities to broaden cooperation across several fields.

During that call, the ministers expressed support for closer bilateral ties and cooperation serving both countries and their peoples, the ministry said. It did not give the call's date, so its timing in relation to the signing could not be established.