Grand Mosque at night

The following was contributed by Omani Ambassador to Korea Mohamed Salim Alharthy on the occasion of the 42nd National Day of the Sultanate of Oman. ― Ed.


On Nov. 18, the Sultanate of Oman celebrated its 42nd national day under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who has led a renaissance in the country with wisdom and ability. The Omani citizen has been the cornerstone and driving force behind this modern renaissance in all fields.

The Sultanate is keen on education to boost the qualifications of the human resources necessary for the development needs of the present and future.

A’Shura in Oman granted wider powers

Sultan Qaboos is keen to maintain Omani citizens as partners of the government in the process of developing social services. The establishment of the Council of Oman (the State Council and the Majilis A’Shura Consultative Council) was a remarkable sign of the development of the Omani consultative system. The Council of Oman consists of the State Council, to which His Majesty appoints its members, and the A’Shura Council, to which the Omani people elect representatives from the provinces (wilayat). The Council received a range of legislative and regulatory powers. 

Oman is a state of institutions

This year is a remarkable point in our history; the Omani judiciary enjoyed complete independence. The amendments to the Basic Law of the State responded to the aspirations of Omani citizens to participate in national development efforts and strengthen legislation that has contributed to development and prosperity. The basic Law of the State represents a legal framework for society and the basic foundation of the work, role and governance of the country’s institutions.

The Sultanate is second among Arab states in providing the judiciary complete independence from the executive. This reflects the desire of His Majesty to achieve the best interests of the country and its citizens.

Security to achieve national development

The Sultanate of Oman enjoys a fertile environment for security, safety and stability in this vital region of the world. The Sultanate achieved a high rank on the Global Peace Index, as it is the most secure among countries in the Middle East and Africa; it came fourth among Arab states and 41st among 153 countries worldwide on the global peace index issued by Australia’s Institute of Economics and Peace in 2011.

Tolerance is the prominent feature of Omani personality

The Omani identity is characterized by the ability to communicate well with others. It embodies interrelationships, interdependence and cohesion between different groups in Omani society, and this is fundamental to prosperity. The Sultanate’s relationships with other nations are based on dialogue, friendship and respect for freedom of religion and belief.

Based on its civilization, the Sultanate of Oman rejects all forms of intolerance and calls for understanding of various civilizations in terms of opinion, religion and culture in general.

The basic Law of the State ensures personal freedom and allows for that within the law. Likewise, the Omani personal status law grants non-Muslims the right to practice their religion under the protection of the law.

Foreign policy of the Sultanate of Oman

The foreign policy of the Sultanate reflects personal Omani features, historical experience and wise leadership. This policy builds bridges of friendship, and opens the prospect of cooperation and good relations with various countries according to the firm foundations of mutual respect and respectful neighborly relations. As per these foundations, the Sultanate managed to build close relationships with states and other nations.

Therefore, Omani foreign policy is a field to support the efforts of economic and social development and to achieve peace, stability and tranquility. It is marked by clarity in dealing with others.

In the area of human rights, the Sultanate managed to establish the appropriate legal basic structure at the national level in a bid to implant human rights principles as part of its laws and institutions. The Sultanate’s universal period review affirms its commitment to international standards in the field of human rights as its national report enjoyed an international commendation on Jan. 26, 2011, before the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Within this context, the joint business councils are active and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry participates in the membership of the Sultanate’s visiting delegation to other countries. Also, friendship associations and commissions’ dialogue and strategic understanding are active with several friendly countries. Many economic and trade relations recorded broad activity with many countries, such as Japan and even Brazil. The Sultanate has diplomatic relations with more than 150 countries in the world, and participates in the membership of more than 105 regional and international organizations.

Stability of the economy in the Sultanate of Oman

During 2012, the Sultanate focused on a number of economic goals, such as economic stability. Economic stability tackles the major issues in the state including inflation and the rate of jobseekers. It also seeks to increase the welfare of the community by achieving stability in the general level of prices, providing jobs, justice in the distribution of income and achieving the highest possible gross domestic product.

The state’s General Budget for 2012 strives to achieve a balance between income and expenditure; provide more job opportunities for citizens; give greater attention to education and training; maintaining the inflation rate at the same level as 2011; continue to implement the strategy of economic diversification; support the non-oil productive sectors including expanding the productive base of the economy and job creation; and complete the implementation of infrastructure projects, such as airports, ports and roads.

In international reports, the Sultanate received praise for its good infrastructure, macroeconomic stability and levels of health care and education. The Sultanate was eighth in the Arab world and 89th globally in the Human Development Index for 2011 issued by the United Nations Developmental Program.

Additionally, the Sultanate achieved fourth place among Arab states and 32nd globally in the Global Competitiveness Report for 2011-2012, which included 142 countries. In this report, the Sultanate ranked 16th globally in institutional framework. It achieved third place globally in general economic climate, 28th in infrastructure, 23rd in market efficiency, and 30th in the efficiency of the capital market index.

In the economic freedom report in 2011, the Sultanate ranked 28th for economic freedom. The Sultanate ranked fifth in the Arab Networked Readiness Index for 2012 as part of the report on Global Information Technology issued by the World Economic Forum.

The Sultanate has worked to attract investment over the past several years by creating a suitable climate to attract foreign investment and stimulate domestic business.

The Sultanate enjoys many conditions conducive to investment, which has enabled it to attract domestic and foreign investment, including security, political stability, and a free economic system. It allows foreigners to have 100 percent ownership of projects without any restrictions on the transfer of funds abroad, and there is no tax on the income of individuals. Also, it unified the tax treatment of all companies, both Omani and foreign, to 12 percent annually.

Stemming from the importance of promoting the private sector’s role in development, the Sultanate sought to join bilateral conventions that allow increasing commercial exchange with many countries and encourage mutual investment. The free trade agreement with the United States and the Sultanate’s membership in the World Trade Organization contribute to increasing trade with various countries.

Economic zones in the Sultanate

The Sultanate of Oman began in 2011 a new phase in the establishment of free zones through establishing the Special Economic Zone Authority in A’Duqum, which was established by the Royal Decree No. (119/2011) issued on Oct. 26, 2011. The Special Economic Zone Authority at A’Duqum was designed to be a city based on the principles of environmental sustainability.

There are three free zones in Oman: 1) Al Mazyounnah zone, which is located in the Dhofar Governorate, which started in 1999; 2) The free zone in Salalah established in 2006; and 3) The free zone in Sohar, established on Dec. 20, 2010.

Tourism sector in the Sultanate of Oman

In recognition of the advanced position of the tourism sector in the Sultanate, Muscat was selected as the capital of Arab Tourism in 2012. The Ministry of Tourism has organized many events and activities that highlight the tourism potential that abounds in the Omani natural environment and cultural heritage.

Thanks to Omani efforts, Muscat has joined the top 10 cities in the world well worth a visit for 2012 ― second after London, according to the online tourism guide Lonely Planet. Muscat is one of the world-famous places in the travel and tourism sector as evaluated by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Fortunately, this estimation coincided with the nomination of Muscat as the Arabian Tourism Capital for 2012. The Sultanate is pursuing efforts to promote geological tourism due to the various unique geologica landscapes that the country enjoys, as well as adventure tourism for those who like climbing, camping on the soft desert sand and diving beside beautiful beaches.

Oman-Korea relations Oman-Korea relations go back more than one thousand years, when Omani merchants met their Korean counterparts on their way to China. In modern times, they established diplomatic relations in 1974. Since then, Oman-Korea relations have witnessed a remarkable development in various fields.

Korea is regarded as a major trading partner of Oman, and both countries engage in numerous economic exchanges and examples of cooperation. Oman provides large quantities of oil and LNG to Korea; likewise, Korea exports many industrial products, including automobiles, shipping vessels, hi-tech electronics and other electronic appliances to Oman.

Moreover, many Korean companies such as GS construction, Daewoo International, Doosan Heavy Industries contribute to the development of Omani infrastructure and other major projects.

In 2011, Oman’s exports to Korea reached about $5.4 billion, while Korea’s exports reached $907 million.

It is important to mention here that the Oman-Korea Joint Committee is playing a very pivotal role in promoting and developing cooperation between the two countries. During the third round of the meetings held in Seoul Nov. 12-13 this year, they discussed many topics of mutual interest such as trade, investment, information security, health, renewable energy, electricity and water, railways, vocational education, maritime transport, etc.

During these meetings the KCCI, Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Seoul organized an Investment Forum, which brought together representatives of more than 80 Korean companies seeking to enter the Oman markets.

On May 25, 2012, the new building of the Oman Embassy officially opened in Seoul, which will play an important role for enhancing the relation and cooperation between the two countries.

To reflect the strong ties, some Omani high delegations visited Korea during this year including H.E. Minister of Education, H.E. Minister of Interior, H.E. Minister of Agriculture, H.E. Minister of Transport and H.E. Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs. From the Korean side, the prime minister visited Muscat in January 2012.

Additionally, some 100 Omani students visited Korea this year through student exchange programs.

To promote cultural exchange, the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in the Republic of Korea participated in various events such as Hi-Seoul and the Arab Cultural Festival. In addition, it organized cultural events, including an Omani costume showcase, and Omani folkloric music performances in three places in Seoul: the Techno-mart area downtown, Sincheon Rotary and Lotte Hotel.

In the context of growing relations between the two countries, the Sultanate participated in Yeosu Expo 2012 with a pavilion under the theme “Conservation of the Marine resources,” which won the Golden Prize for the best pavilion in the field of embodying the slogan of the exhibition. It attracted more than a half million visitors.