The state visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the State of Qatar shows the depth and the strength of the relationship between the two countries. The bonding has seen drastic expansion and consolidation at various levels in recent years. This shows the nature of connection between the two nations, their common interests and similarity in the political and economic vision for the region and the world. This convergence of views led to harnessing of mutual interests.
The commonality in their outlook triggered joint efforts at various levels and with mutual cooperation. This is also working as a step for gradual consolidation of relations in all the areas. This reflects the ambitions of the leaderships of the two brotherly countries which are focussed on serving the aspirations of the two peoples to achieve greater heights. This is the basic dimension of ties between the Sultanate of Oman and the State of Qatar and the relations of the people of the two countries.
This visit was His Majesty’s first to Qatar and the second at the regional and international levels after his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This has resulted in lot of optimism and created confidence at all levels domestically and abroad. This shows the importance of his official tours abroad, and that it means a lot for the government and the people of the country. These initiatives are seen as efforts to strengthen relations and embark on the path of further cooperation in as many areas.
There is no doubt that the brotherly State of Qatar and its people love the Sultanate of Oman because of its rational stances on the crises which the region has seen recently. They respect the policy of the Sultanate of Oman of non-interference in the internal affairs of others. The Sultanate of Oman urges for dialogue to resolve any crisis and conflicts between the countries in the region.
These are the positions which have saved the region from crisis and conflicts and prevented worsening of the situation. This permanent position of the Sultanate of Oman has made its impact and has led parties in some disputes and conflicts modify their stand and withdraw from positions which could have destabilised the region. This is what has been greatly appreciated by the State of Qatar as a major requirement for comprehensive sustainable development.
It is fortunate that economic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Qatar have witnessed sharp increase in recent years. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries increased from 2013 to 2018 by 40 per cent, as recent statistics show. The trade exchange between the two in 2018 exceeded RO 1 billion. Omani exports accounted for a remarkable growth of 78 per cent. In fact, the trade exchange increased from RO 2 billion in 2016 to RO 3.8 billion in 2017 and reached RO 6.8 billion in 2018, which was a growth of 240 per cent. In addition to this, and around 350 Qatari companies are operating in the Sultanate of Oman in various areas of investment.
These are the economic relations which work as binding force between countries. This is the only path for prosperous and brighter future. This creates opportunities for work to achieve objectives for better future. The bilateral trade and economic relations are more important than anything else. This opens more horizons for cooperation and joint efforts as well as help in finding and creating more opportunities where two and more nations can work together.
The delegation of the Sultanate of Oman headed by His Majesty the Sultan reflected the nature of this visit. The relations between the two countries showed the common interests and visions. The mutual cooperation leads to brotherhood in relations and further strengthening of ties which are also sustainable.
