Moscow, Apr 22 (PTI) At the first ever summit between the two nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarek Al Said expressed concern about the situation in Gaza and called for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian territories.

“Both leaders expressed deep concern over the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip and reaffirmed their support for international efforts to achieve an immediate and lasting ceasefire, ensure the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population, and launch the processes of reconstruction and the return of internally displaced persons.

“They noted the need for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and from all occupied Palestinian territories,” said a joint communique issued by the Kremlin after the talks.

Besides the situation in Gaza and Syria, the two leaders also discussed the ongoing US, Iran nuclear talks with Oman’s mediation.

Among the bilateral agreements signed during the summit, accord on visa free travel to each other was said to be important not only for boosting tourism but also giving a fillip to bilateral trade and economic cooperation in the field of energy, local analysts said. PTI VS GSP GSP