HM’s Jordan visit to deepen bilateral ties

Muscat May 21

The state visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and his meeting with King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein sets a new milestone for bilateral cooperation and coordination.

The foundations of this distinguished relationship were laid by the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and late His Majesty king Hussein bin Talal. The eminent relations are continuing between two brotherly countries under the wise leaderships of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Being the first official visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to Jordan since assuming the reins of power of the Sultanate of Oman, it reflects the progressing relations between Oman and Jordan that extend over 53 years.

Since the start of the diplomatic exchange in 1972, both countries have taken identical stands in tackling regional and international issues. They endorsed dialogue as a successful means of ensuring international peace and security.

Significantly, the visit comes at a time when the region, especially Palestine and the Gaza Strip, is witnessing unprecedented developments, most notably the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza. Since its beginning, the two leaders have not hesitated to make every effort to stop this violence and enable the Palestinian brothers to establish their independent state.

Although the two leaders are expected to discuss regional and international issues of common interest based on their political consensus, the focus will be on further enhancing the good historic ties.

The Omani Ambassador to Jordan, Fahd bin Abdulrahman al Ojaili, confirmed that the visit sends messages that Oman and Jordan have a history that speaks for itself and a unique relationship.

“The visit has great objectives, in light of regional and international developments, as it increases the permanent joint coordination between the two countries on issues of common concern, especially the Palestinian cause," the Omani envoy was quoted by Oman News Agency.

According to him, the visit is of exceptional importance as it is the first official visit of His Majesty the Sultan after assuming the reins of power in the country.

Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Amjad Al Qahiwi said that the visit coincides with the Kingdom of Jordan’s celebration of the silver jubilee of King Abdullah II assuming the reins of power.

“The visit is an embodiment of the continuity of cooperation and close diplomatic relations between the two countries and represents an opportunity to explore new areas," he told Oman’s national news agency.

The historic relations between the two culturally close countries also include their common interests in international organisations, such as the League of Arab States and the Arab Monetary Fund, of which they are both members, as well as their shared concern for security and stability in the region.

As part of bolstering cooperation, the two countries have a number of memoranda of understanding, agreements, and executive programmes in different fields, including industry, mining, labour, prohibition of monopolies, archiving, higher education, scholarly research, innovation, consumer protection, tourism, and insurance.

In order to emphasise the cultural and civilisational blending between the two brotherly peoples, a unit for Omani studies was established at Al Al-Bayt University in 1998, to be the first of its kind in the Arab Levant and to form a bridge of research and academic communication between Jordan and the Sultanate of Oman.

The unit holds a series of international seminars on Oman’s history, heritage, and present. Jordanian-Omani relations are reviewed periodically, and many books and studies related to Omani affairs are published. There is also continuous cooperation and exchange of expertise between the two countries in the medical, agricultural, media, and military fields.

The two sides also signed a number of agreements with civil society institutions, the last of which was a memorandum of understanding between the Arab Thought Forum and the Omani Cultural Club.

Cultural cooperation between Oman and Jordan also takes the form of intellectual and literary forums between Omani and Jordanian writers. This is in addition to the two countries' shared activities during book fairs in Muscat and Amman.

The Jordanian and Omani peoples are characterised by their adherence to authentic Arab customs and traditions, which is evident in the artistic participations that each of them represents in the cultural festivals of the other country, especially the Muscat and Salalah Festivals in Oman and the Jerash Festival in Jordan.