The Sultan of Oman on Wednesday sent Sicilian regional President Raffaele Lombardo a thoroughbred stallion and two mares from his royal stables in return for the hospitality shown during his visit to the region this summer.
Island officials reciprocated by donating three native Sicilian goats which will be cross bred with Oman species.
Ambassador Said Nasser Al-Harthy told Sicilian officials the sultanate hoped the climate of goodwill inaugurated during Sultan Qabus' bin Said al-Said's visit to Palermo in August would lead to an increase in their already thriving trade relations.
He also invited Lombardo to attend an important horse fair taking place in Oman next year.
During his visit to Palermo the sultan donated 5.5 million euros to the city, repeating a similar gesture he made while visiting Bari in May.
The sultan asked that funds be shared among the Di Cristina Children's Hospital, children's Telefono Azzurro helpline and the Bellini Conservatory of Music.
In Bari his five-million-euro donation was used to fund scholarships at the city's music conservatory and pay for new medical instruments at the city's children's hospital.
Palermo was the last European stop on the sultan's four-month world cruise. He is said to have chosen the Sicilian capital because of its ample port facilities and its proximity to Punta Raisi airport, which hosted his five aircraft, including two jumbo jets.
The sultan is also believed to have chosen to visit Palermo because of its links with the Arab culture which spread though the Mediterranean 1,000 years ago.
