HE Jon Wilks CMG
Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Oman
On the momentous occasion of the 45th National Day, I am delighted to have this opportunity to comment on the close friendship between the United Kingdom and Oman. Today our relationship is one of extraordinary depth, breadth and warmth. Over the past 45 years and beyond, hundreds of thousands of Omanis and Britons have lived, worked and studied in each others’ countries forming a lasting bond and deep understanding which has kept our partnership growing ever stronger.
Education and training is one of the foundations of the UK-Oman bilateral relationship. I was pleased this year to re-launch the British Government’s Chevening Scholarship programme in Oman. This prestigious programme is being supported by a British company, BAE Systems, in Oman to offer talented young Omanis scholarships to pursue Masters degrees in the UK.
There are over 2,000 Omani students in UK universities, making the UK the preferred destination for Omanis studying overseas. There are also a growing number of partnerships between UK and Omani universities and colleges. The use of British standards for vocational training is also very popular and many UK professional institutes are working with Oman on the accreditation of locally delivered training courses.
There has always been an active cultural exchange between Britain and Oman. One upcoming event that I am looking forward to is a crossing of the Empty Quarter by an Omani and British team of adventurers. They are following in the footsteps of the first recorded trek in 1930 undertaken by a similar British-Omani team of Bertram Thomas and Sheikh Salih bin Kalut Al Rashidi. I recently enjoyed another great example of cultural exchange when a production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet was staged in Muscat as part of the famous Shakespeare’s Globe theatre’s world tour.
Trade between our two nations also continues to grow. The UK is the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Oman accounting for approximately 46 per cent of total FDI in Oman. Partnering is key and UK-Omani companies enjoy long term relationships which have led to world class technology transfer. These partnerships facilitate technical and knowledge exchange in areas such as enhanced oil recovery and sour gas processing. Significant investments are also being made in other sectors such as tourism, mining and minerals and vocational training aiming to build sustainable partnerships in these areas vital for the future of Oman’s economy.
The bond of trust between our two countries enables us to work effectively together to reinforce security and stability in the region as it faces new threats and challenges. That is why the security and defence relationship with Oman remains so important to the UK. We share similar views on the challenges facing the Middle East and together seek to address these.
Our partnership with Oman gives us great satisfaction and confidence. We look forward to building on this in the years ahead.