Sultan of Oman on state visit to Singapore from Dec 13 to 15
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Sultan Haitham will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana on Dec 14 and call on President Tharman.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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SINGAPORE - Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik is on a state visit to Singapore from Dec 13 to 15, at the invitation of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
This is the Sultan’s first state visit to Singapore and reflects Singapore’s growing engagement with the Middle East, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement on Dec 13.
Sultan Haitham is accompanied by a high-level delegation which includes Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said and Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi.
Sultan Haitham will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana on Dec 14 and call on President Tharman, who will host a state banquet in his honour. He will meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong separately.
Also on his itinerary is a visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where a new orchid hybrid will be named after him, said MFA. Sultan Haitham will also be briefed on Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives and the Future Economy Council.
Both countries established diplomatic relations on Feb 21, 1985. Oman established a consulate-general here in May 2011, while Singapore opened a consulate-general in Muscat in 2013. Both countries upgraded the respective consulates-general to embassies headed by a charge d’affaires on Jan 1, 2023.
In 2022, Oman was Singapore’s seventh-largest trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa, with bilateral trade at $1.36 billion. Singapore companies have shown a growing interest in Oman, particularly in sectors such as logistics, aquaculture and energy.
Both countries previously collaborated on two bilateral projects.
The first was the Jewel of Muscat, a replica of a ninth-century Arabian dhow, which was a state gift to Singapore from the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said. A multinational crew sailed the vessel in 2010 from Oman to Singapore, taking a historical trade route using ancient sailing techniques.
It was previously housed in the Maritime Experiential Museum and will be displayed in the Singapore Oceanarium, which is slated to open in 2024.
The other project was the redevelopment of Muscat Street in 2012 to incorporate Omani-style architecture as a reflection of Singapore’s diverse cultural heritage.
