UAE President on Oman visit, strengthening historical relations between nations

The United Arab Emirates and Sultanate of Oman share deep cultural, historical and social relations, wherein the vision of both leaderships includes continuing development of their people and countries through cooperation and alliance. The two countries have over years shared close relations and partnerships at various levels.

Towards strengthening the relations between the two brotherly nations, UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has arrived today in Muscat for his two-day state visit to Oman, in response to an invitation by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the Sultan of Oman. President MBZ was welcomed by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said at the Royal Private Airport in Muscat.

Accompanying His Highness during the visit is a delegation comprising H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court; Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State; Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Jabr Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Minister of State at the Presidential Court; Mohamed Sultan Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Oman; Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Chief Executive Officer at ADQ; and Major General Khalifa Rashid Juma Al Hamli, the President’s Aide-de-Camp.

Strong historical and cultural ties between UAE and Oman

Stressing on keenness to strengthen ties with Oman, UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had said in a previous statement, “The United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman share deep-rooted ties that grow stronger every day.” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, also highlighted the strong UAE and Oman ties, saying, “Oman is from us, and we are among them. They are our siblings, and we have long-term mutual ties that we are proud of, which are being reinforced by our people daily.”

The two nations share strong cultural and social bonds that has strong foundation in history. Past decades have seen landmark strides made towards further reinforcing the historic bond between the two nations, further bolstered through historic meeting between the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 1968.

Non-oil trade between UAE and Oman grows

The UAE is the most critical trading partners of the Sultanate of Oman. The non-oil trade exchange between the UAE and Oman has amounted to AED46 billion last year. This was a growth of 9 per cent when compared to the trade in 2020. Moreover, the average trade growth between the two countries over the previous five years was about 10 per cent, according to statistics by the UAE-Oman Economic Forum, held last February in Dubai.

Raw, semi-worked, or powdered gold has topped the list of the top five commodities that are exported to Oman, coming to a value of AED2.41 billion, copper wires with a value of AED1.31 billion, petroleum and mineral oils (not raw) with a value of AED916 million, and cigarettes with a value of AED889 million and steel products with a value of AED765 million.

UAE and Oman – historical sports cooperation

Four years ago, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai had first announced the hashtag “UAE Oman One Win” on his official Twitter account. This was after national teams of both the countries had qualified for the finals of 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup held in Kuwait. This is just one example of how the leaderships of UAE and Oman have extended support and cooperation in the sports sector.