Boost for Oman, UK parliamentary ties

Muscat, Feb 3 - Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council, received a delegation of the House of Lords headed by Lord Jeffrey James Dear, Vice-President of the House of Lords, on Sunday.
The Chairman of the Council welcomed the delegation and expressed the hope that the visit will contribute to enhancing bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and developing cooperation between the two councils.
The Sultanate and the United Kingdom have strong historical relationship, which has become more firmly established during the recent Omani Renaissance under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. The cooperation between the two countries has witnessed remarkable progress in various investment, tourism, education and other fields.
The Council Chairman highlighted the important role of the mutual visits between the two councils in enhancing cooperation between them through exchange of experiences and sharing of knowledge in various aspects of the Shura work, in addition to the opportunities of exchanging views on various topics that contribute to the consolidation of bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.
Lord Jeffrey James Dear, Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords underscored the depth of relations between Oman and Britain, describing it as historic and which is growing and witnessing a steady development in all areas. He expressed his country’s appreciation for the Sultanate’s efforts under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to maintain stability of the region and uphold international peace and security.
He also praised the Sultanate’s overall development and expressed his hope to open new horizons in economic cooperation between the two countries.
The visit of the delegation to the Sultanate aims to contribute to strengthening bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and enhancing parliamentary cooperation between them and pushing them towards greater horizons, pointing out the importance of mutual visits between the two councils in deepening cooperation.
The State Council delegation had visited the House of Lords in March last year. Vice-Chairperson, the Secretary-General of the State Council and members of the Council attended the meeting
The joint discussion was attended by Vice-Chairperson, Dr Suad Mohamed Ali Sulaiman al Lawati and members of the Council, Secretary-General of Majlis Ash’shura and the delegation of the House of Lords. The Vice-Chairperson of the State Council welcomed the House of Lords delegation, stressed on the depth of the historical relations between the Sultanate and the United Kingdom. She expressed her hope that the visit will contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries especially in the parliamentary fields.
Lord Jeffrey Dear gave a talk about the British bicameral parliamentary system composed of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The members of the delegation also reviewed the powers of both councils and the relationship between them in the framework of the parliamentary bilateral relations.
The delegation of the British House of Lords toured the building of the Council of Oman to view its architectural design and the modern techniques that the Council’s halls and facilities include. The British delegation also visited the National Museum. The House of Lords delegation includes Baroness Francis Gertrude, Lord Igor Gedj, Baroness Simon Gerry Finn, Lord Navent Dholakia.