Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
broken clouds
weather
OMAN
23°C / 23°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

A time-tested foreign policy

His Majesty advocates that peaceful coexistence between nations and peoples, good neighbourhood, non-interference in the internal affairs of others and respect for the sovereignty of states can only bring in progress to humanity.
No Image
minus
plus

The Sultanate of Oman’s foreign policy is based on the credo ‘A friend of everyone and enemy to none’ a legacy that the country has been following since time immemorial.


His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik had reconfirmed in his first speech after his inauguration as the Sultan of the country that he would follow the brilliant steps of the late Sultan who steadfastly and resolutely stepped into the future and to preserve the accomplishments of nation building.


His Majesty advocates that peaceful coexistence between nations and peoples, good neighbourhood, non-interference in the internal affairs of others and respect for the sovereignty of states can only bring in progress to humanity.


These principles lay the foundation for the Sultanate's foreign policy.


His Majesty’s visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Kingdom since he assumed power were interpreted as measures to maintain peaceful and cordial relations with Oman's important partners.


To begin with, His Majesty's visit to Saudi Arabia was the first political visit by an Omani Royal to the kingdom in over a decade.


His Majesty met with the Late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and was honoured with a GCMG.


On September 19, 2022, he attended the state funeral of Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London.


1) Saudi Arabia:


The royal visit of His Majesty to Saudi Arabia on July 11, 2021 is considered to be his first official foreign trip since taking on the role and his talks with the Saudi officials were focused on the situation in Yemen and economic and investment cooperation.


His Majesty was greeted by Saudi King Salman, whose meeting was said to be the first face-to-face meeting since the coronavirus pandemic began, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as reported by the Saudi media.


2) Qatar:


On November 22, 2021, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik embarked upon a two-day state visit to Qatar, in response to an invitation from Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Emir of Qatar. The visit was considered to be in affirmation of the distinguished relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the State of Qatar and based on the keenness of the two countries’ leaderships to enhance joint ties at all levels.


3) UK:


On December 14, 2021, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik went on a private visit to the United Kingdom, according to the Diwan of Royal Court, which read, “His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik will go on a private visit to the United Kingdom (UK) lasting several days, with effect from Tuesday, December 14, 2021.”


The aims of His Majesty's visit were to upgrade the advanced relations between Oman and the UK, to serve the two countries' joint interests and to achieve the aspirations of their peoples. The visit also touched upon regional and international topics of common concern.


His Majesty the Sultan was accompanied by a delegation comprising the Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Minister of the Royal Office, the Foreign Minister and the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the UK during the visit.


4) Germany:


His Majesty paid an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany beginning on July 13, 2022, the first trip to Berlin since he took office. His visit was within the good relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Federal Republic of Germany and for further enhancement of the fields of cooperation of common concern, which aimed at achievement of aspirations of the two countries and for review of current issues of common concern in the regional and international arena.


His visit, according to international media, comes within the key topics of energy security at a time when the country is chasing ambitious plans of reusable and sustainable energy sources and Duqm is fast progressing a new hub for green hydrogen.


5) Bahrain:


Stemming from the strong bilateral relations that bind the Sultanate and the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Majesty paid a visit to Bahrain in order to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and strong bilateral ties with the latter in October 2022.


The two-day official visit to the Kingdom, the first royal visit to Manama since he took the throne in January 2020, at the kind invitation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, was an occasion to discuss ways to stimulate cooperation between the two countries in a manner that serves their interests and aspirations and achieves future prosperity.


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon