By Mohamed Fahd

DOHA, Qatar

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem on Tuesday held talks with top-level Omani officials in Muscat.

It is the second time for al-Muallem to visit Oman since conflict erupted in Syria in early 2011.

According to Oman’s official news agency, Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Omani deputy PM for international relations, held a meeting with al-Muallem, at which the two men discussed “various aspects of cooperation between the two countries”.

The Syrian FM held a separate meeting on Tuesday with Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman’s minister responsible for foreign affairs, during which they discussed means of enhancing bilateral relations.

Al-Muallem arrived in Muscat on Monday for an official visit at Oman’s invitation, according to Syria’s SANA news agency.

In August of 2015, al-Muallem visited Oman for his first visit to an Arab Gulf state since the conflict in his country began.

Two months later, bin Alawi reciprocated by paying a visit to Damascus.

With the exception of Oman, the Arab Gulf States generally blame Syria’s Assad regime for the ongoing conflict, which recently entered its eighth year.

Muscat, however, continues to recognize the Assad regime as Syria’s legitimate ruling authority.

In earlier statements, bin Alawi has said that Oman was making efforts to find peaceful solutions to the conflicts in both Syria and Yemen using what he described as “quiet diplomacy”.