Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sultan of Oman Khaytam bin Tariq Al Said greet an Omani delegation during a meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 22. Photo: Sergei Savostyanov/AP
During the visit of Omani Sultan Haisam bin Tariq to Moscow, officers of the Russian Federal Security Service found a suspicious object on the hands of members of his delegation – during the inspection it turned out to be a belted dagger, which they tried to give to Putin as a gift.
This was reported by Andrey Kolesnikov, a special correspondent for the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
“What is this?” asked a surprised Putin security officer, noticing a dagger in the delegation’s belongings. “A gift! A real gift!” the Omani representatives replied in Russian. “For whom?” – “For Putin! For the President of Russia! ” the journalist describes the dialogue at the entrance to the Grand Kremlin Palace.
The FSO eventually confiscated the dagger, stressing that “this is not the way to do things”. The incident did not affect the visit.
A visit to establish a dialogue
The Sultan of Oman arrived in Moscow on 22 April. According to the Kremlin, the parties discussed energy cooperation, investment, and Oman’s role as a potential mediator in dialogues between Russia and the Arab world.
The official part of the meeting was held in the St George’s Hall of the Kremlin, after which the talks continued in the Green and Malachite Salons.
Visits by Middle Eastern leaders to Moscow amid Russia’s isolation are rare but important – Oman is considered one of the few neutral mediators in the region. At the same time, the dagger incident only underscored the nervousness of Russian security and the secrecy of the Kremlin’s protocol.
