ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan and his counterpart from Oman Sayyid Badar Bin Hamad Bin Hamoud opened their first round of talks on Monday and reviewed the whole gamut of relations between Pakistan and Oman.

The two officials held the talks in pursuance of the memorandum of understanding on political consultations which was signed during Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s visit to Oman in March 2005.

The foreign secretaries also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest.

During the period 2004-05, the volume of trade between Pakistan and Oman stood at around $88 million with the balance of trade in Pakistan’s favour.

Oman has provided assistance to Pakistan for various development and investment projects, including the Gwadar seaport and Pakistan-Oman Joint Investment Company (POIC).

Following the October 2005 earthquake, Oman donated $5 million to the President’s Relief Fund and sent more than 370 tons of relief goods to the quake survivors.—APP