In this photo made available by Oman News Agency, on Monday, March 23, 2015, Sultan Qaboos of Oman arrives in Muscat

Omani leader Sultan Qaboos made a rare public appearance on Sunday to address the annual session of parliament, in his first live broadcast speech since he returned from an eight-month medical stay in Germany.

Appearing in good health, Qaboos spoke for three minutes in his address to the Oman Council, which is made up of both elected and appointed members.

Qaboos has helped to transform an impoverished backwater riven by internal conflict into a prosperous state that plays a small but important role in regional diplomacy.

Oman has helped facilitate peace efforts in the region, acting as an intermediary for contacts between Iranian and U.S. diplomats that culminated in the landmark nuclear deal in July and backing talks to end Yemen’s ongoing civil war.

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