Moscow: Hamoud Salim Al Tuwaih, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Russian Federation, Oman’s non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Belarus, affirmed that the Sultanate of Oman and Belarus have developed good relations and mutual cooperation in many fields.
In a statement to the Oman News Agency (ONA), Al Tuwaih said that the visit made to Oman by Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, provides an important opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations, enhance cooperation and exchange expertise in the fields of economy, trade, culture, education and investments.
Al Tuwaih added that, through the visit of Belarus PM, the two countries are looking forward to expand bilateral cooperation. “The visit will pave the way for realizing the aspirations of the two countries’ peoples. It is in pursuance of steps that have been taken by the two countries during the past years,” he explained.
Al Tuwaih pointed out that the two countries earlier signed many memoranda of understanding, including the Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investment (signed on May 10, 2004), the Agreement on Economic and Commercial Cooperation (signed in 2007), a Memorandum of Understanding for Political Consultations (signed in 2007) and the Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and an agreement on cooperation between the chambers of commerce of the two countries.
Other pacts include an agreement on mutual cancellation of visas for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports and memoranda of understanding between the ministries of foreign affairs, justice, education and culture. An air transport agreement was signed by the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Sultanate of Oman in July 2023, he added.
Al Tuwaih said that bilateral relations between Oman and Belarus were established on July 23, 1992 and that the President of the Republic of Belarus made an official visit to the Sultanate of Oman in April 2007 and was received at that time by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
Al Tuwaih stressed that the two sides continue to exchange visits at parliamentary and political levels and that they hold rounds of political consultations in a regular manner.
Al Tuwaih affirmed that the two countries study prospects for expanding their bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, commercial exchange, investment, technology, energy and alternative energy.
Currently, bilateral cooperation covers the areas of education and research through the exchange of students and researchers, in addition to innovation, technology and cultural exchange.
The two sides organized joint cultural events and took joint steps to support the tourism sector, with a view to expanding investments in this field, he added.
Al Tuwaih told Oman News Agency (ONA) that “There is ongoing cooperation between the Omani National Museum and Belarusian museums. "We hope that this coordination will be increased further in the forthcoming stage,” he said. In this context, he referred to an agreement signed in 2016 to establish a Centre for Arabic Language and Culture within the compound of Minsk State University.
He explained that the centre usually sends students to study Arabic language at Sultan Qaboos University and that students from the Republic of Belarus are scheduled to join Sultan Qaboos University in January 2025.
Al Tuwaih added that, on April 1, 2018, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in Muscat in the field of heritage and culture. This was in addition to a memorandum of understanding signed in March 2018by the National Museum of Oman and the Natural History Museum of the Republic of Belarus in the field of culture and museum activities, he explained.
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