Oman’s New Sultan Visits Saudi Arabia to Strengthen Cooperation

Riyadh, MINA – Oman’s new Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said visited Saudi Arabia on July 11-12, 2021, on his first official overseas trip since becoming Oman’s leader last year.

Sultan Haitham was greeted by Saudi King Salman on Sunday, in what Saudi-owned media said it was the 85-year-old king’s first face-to-face meeting since the coronavirus pandemic began, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also present.

The visit was aimed at strengthening the historical relationship between the leadership of the two countries, and expanding the fields of cooperation, as well as ways to develop it in various fields for the benefit and development of the Omani and Saudi people, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The two countries are coordinating their actions under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in accordance with the vision and strategic goals of the bloc, with a view to achieving integration between member states in various fields.

A similar cooperative spirit informs their role in the Arab League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the United Nations and various international bodies.

Finding new ways to expand the partnership between the Kingdom and the sultanate was high on the agenda during Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s two-day visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Salman.

Sultan Haitham was accompanied by senior ministers and diplomats, notably Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al-Said, Interior Minister Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al-Busaidi, and Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al-Busaidi.

The delegation also included Said bin Hamoud bin Said Al-Maawali, minister of transport, communications and information technology; Qais bin Mohammed bin Moosa Al-Yousef, minister of trade, industry and investment promotion; and Abdulsalam bin Mohammed Al-Murshidi, chairman of the Oman Investment Authority.

“Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Arab world and a leading economic engine, home to a quarter of the world’s oil reserves and the largest free market in the Middle East and North Africa region. It is Oman’s main valuable trading partner,” said Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al-Said, Oman’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia who accompanied the sultan’s delegation.

The visit to Saudi Arabia marked his first foreign trip since becoming his country’s leader, testifying clearly to the importance of Saudi-Oman relations. (T/R6/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)