Oman’s foreign minister has downplayed recent tensions between Saudi Arabia and Egypt in a recent interview with Egyptian daily Al Akhbar.

“In the end any dispute will pass because the relationship between siblings is much bigger than that,” Yousuf Bin Alawi said.

He said it was a mistake to compare the relationship now to how it was in the past due to the “state of agitation” that the region is currently experiencing.

The prime trigger for the agitation, the minister believes, is the unprecedented population growth.

On the Arab Spring, he said no one was willing to explore the real reasons behind the uprisings.

“No one wants to open this door for fear of the truth,” he said.

Bin Alawi denied that Oman was “swimming against the tide” in regards to the Gulf Union, stressing that Oman has common interests with everyone and has its own way to achieve its goals.

“We don’t have any issue with the union, but we have our reasons not to be a part of it,” he said, while adding that the media liked to exaggerate differences between Oman and its Gulf neighbours.

Bin Alawi downplayed worries about the upcoming American presidency of Donald Trump, saying it wouldn’t be the first time an ‘inappropriate’ administration was in power.

On the Syrian crisis, the minister pointed the finger of blame to those who exploit sectarianism to achieve political gain.

Bin Alawi denied Oman interfered in Libya’s domestic affairs, saying Libyan parties were the ones that asked for Oman’s help.

In April, it hosted the Libyan Constitution Drafting Assembly in Salalah.

He said, at some point, Libyan warring parties will become exhausted and start searching for a political solution to the crisis.

Bin Alawi defended his country’s ties with Iran, calling it “a real neighbour”.

source : gulfnews