Muscat: Abdullah bin Saud Al Anzi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Sultanate of Oman reiterated that the government and the people of the Kingdom will participate in the celebrations of the Sultanate’s 52nd National Day, which falls on 18 November every year, heralding progress and development and strong bilateral relations between the two brotherly and strong nations, under the wise guidance and care of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.

The Ambassador described the relations between the two countries as ideal and strong, sharing common ties and values, mainly religion, good neighbourliness, language and destiny, integrated visions on handling the present and future issues under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.

He said the Omani Renaissance stems from the its deep-rooted identity, values and culture, Islamic heritage and Arabian values set by late Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the continued march of the Renaissance under the wise directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, as reflected in Oman Vision 2040, and the essential changes in the structuring of the state apparatus which enabled the Sultanate overcome the crisis of reduced oil prices and the impacts of COVID 19 pandemic, paving the way for further progress and success.

The fruitful results achieved by the visit of His Majesty the Sultan to Saudi Arabia and the visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister to the Sultanate contributed to the transformation of bilateral relations to wider horizons which concluded with the establishment of the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council, which would see convening of its first session soon.

He said the two countries have signed 13 agreements in various fields and the private sector of both the nations entered into partnerships.

For instance, the Saudi ACWA Power Group entered into partnership with a number of Omani companies for the establishment of Ibri II Power Plant Project, an independent project for development, construction and operation of the Electrolyte Solar Power Station in the Sultanate of Oman for production of 500 megawatts of renewable energy.

The Saudi ACWA Power, OQ Group and Air Products of USA signed an agreement on the joint development of Oman hydrogen project for the establishment of a plant for production of ammonia using green hydrogen in the Sultanate of Oman, he added.

In the field of energy, the Ambassador pointed out that the two countries have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) within the UN’s COP 27 2022. He also pointed to the announcement of HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the Green Middle East Initiative in partnership with the region’s countries.

He also pointed to the Sultanate’s appreciation and support for the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the field of preservation and sustainability of the environment.

He said the Public Investments Fund (PIF) of the KSA has established five regional companies, one of which targets investment in the Sultanate of Oman and that the total targeted investments amounted to USD 24billion for investment opportunities in various sectors.

He said the opening of the Empty Quarter Border Post has contributed to the increase of the rate of exchange of trade and supported the movement of citizens between the two countries and transport of goods to achieve one of the key objectives of the economic visions of the two countries.

He said the political and economic stability of the Sultanate and the tangible action it has taken for diversification of sources of national income and curbing reliability on oil represent competitive benefits for foreign investments.

He added that the Sultanate has employed all such factors through the establishment of a number of economic zones and ports and has focused on promising sectors, mainly the tourism and logistics services sectors.

He also praised the significant role of the Sultanate’s foreign policy at the regional and international levels in serving security, peace and stability.

The Ambassador concluded by stating that Saudi Arabia believes in the strong ties with the Sultanate which, he said, had set an example of stability, security, development and prosperity in the region.