Britain and Oman renew historic friendship with Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq’s state visit
His Majesty the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq began his visit by viewing the exhibition of innovative companies and projects, which showcases a range of advanced technologies and solutions in the field beneficial to his country
By SHAMLAL PURI, SENIOR EDITOR UK & ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER IN LONDON
The centuries-old ties between the Sultanate of Oman and the United Kingdom received a major boost last week, when the Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Haitham bin Tariq, visited Britain as the guest of King Charles III.
Over generations, sailors, soldiers, scientists, students, diplomats, and communities have built friendship between the two countries, creating deep generational trust between their peoples.
Last week, the United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Oman welcomed a package of announcements to build on this legacy and deepen links between their people and institutions for future generations. This includes closer cooperation on heritage, air connectivity and tourism, sport and the creative industries, and strengthening next-generation and community links through the British Omani Society.
“The United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Oman commit to strengthen and deepen our relationship, monitor progress against agreed priorities, and ensure that cooperation remains focused on mutual benefit, Oman’s Vision 2040, the UK’s growth agenda, and the shared goal of building a more secure, prosperous and resilient world.”
This was stated in the joint statement issued on the occasion of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s State Visit to the United Kingdom as the guest of King Charles III on 20-22 October 2026.
During the State Visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman, to the United Kingdom, the two countries reaffirmed the enduring friendship between them, reflected in the close relationship between His Majesty The King and His Majesty the Sultan, and agreed to build an ambitious, forward-looking partnership for the future.
At 10 Downing Street on 21 October, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Sultan Haitham bin Tarik welcomed the depth, warmth, and longevity of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Oman. They agreed on priorities to shape cooperation in the years ahead.
These priorities include modernising cooperation on security, defence, and national resilience; expanding trade and investment in green and advanced industries; working together on regional stability and global challenges; and strengthening ties between people and institutions.
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and His Highness Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said welcomed their roles in supporting the next generation of the relationship, including through joint patronage of the British Omani Society.
The UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and the Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Shihab bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said also reaffirmed their commitment to the enduring UK–Oman defence partnership and its continued modernisation.
The UK Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, and Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi, continued their detailed discussions on bilateral affairs, covering matters of regional and global importance.
The UK Minister for Trade, Baron Sarwar, also met with the Omani Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, to discuss the steps needed to ensure the highly anticipated signing of the UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement.
The Omani Minister of Education, Madeeha bint Ahmed bin Nassir al Shibaniyah, also met with the CEO of the British Council to explore innovative approaches to integrating emerging technologies into education.
The UK-Oman partnership is rooted in historical friendship, sustained through resilience, and renewed through innovation. It is underpinned by the Comprehensive Agreement of Enduring Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation (2019) and the Joint Defence Agreement (2019), and delivered through the UK-Oman Ministerial Dialogue, Joint Defence Talks, and Strategic Advisory Group, among other bilateral fora.
The United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Oman commit to strengthening and deepening their relationship, monitoring progress against agreed priorities, and ensuring cooperation remains focused on mutual benefit, Oman’s Vision 2040, the UK’s growth agenda, and the shared goal of building a more secure, prosperous, and resilient world.
The two countries reaffirmed the importance of their trusted defence partnership and their intent to deepen defence industrial cooperation, strengthen military-to-military cooperation, and increase focus on defence expertise, testing, innovation, and future capability.
The Saif Sareea exercise series remains a flagship expression of this relationship. Both countries welcomed preparations for Saif Sareea IV. They agreed to explore the next phase of long-term exercise cooperation, including future capability development, testing and experimentation, and maritime security information exchange.
They also agreed to deepen collaboration across security and national resilience and work more closely in several areas, including cyber security, to tackle shared international security challenges.
The UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement will provide further opportunities to deepen trade and investment between the United Kingdom and Oman once signed and implemented.
The UK-Oman Strategic Advisory Group will continue as the flagship dialogue for investment and growth, supporting knowledge exchange, structured innovation and delivery of shared economic objectives.
The Sovereign Partnership for Cooperation and Promotion of Investment will provide a focal point for long-term economic cooperation, strengthen links between the UK’s Office for Investment and the Oman Investment Authority and advance cooperation on green growth, advanced technologies, critical minerals, space, innovation, scale-up finance, industrial clusters and regional connectivity.
It will prioritise sectors within the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and Oman’s future-industries ecosystem, using Omani industrial zones and innovation clusters as platforms for UK expertise, while supporting Oman’s economic diversification and its role as a gateway for regional growth.
Recognising green growth as a shared national priority, the United Kingdom and Oman will advance cooperation on green industries and decarbonisation.
UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Oman Net Zero Centre also announced strengthened cooperation to support the sustainable, secure and responsible development of green and decarbonisation projects.
The UK welcomed the proposed Oman Green Growth Roadshow delegation in 2027 to take these partnerships forward.
Alongside this, UKEF has increased its country limit for Oman by £1.6 billion, providing up to £7 billion of capacity to support UK exports to Oman.
This will create greater capacity to support priority projects, deepen commercial ties and connect Omani opportunities with UK goods, services and expertise.
Net Zero Industry Wales and the Oman Net Zero Centre will also launch a partnership to share knowledge and build links amongst industrial clusters, renewable energy sectors, academia and public bodies.
The two countries agreed to deepen cooperation in advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, data centres, critical minerals and space, through targeted roundtables, delegations and technical exchanges.
They welcomed an agreement between the UK Space Agency and the Oman National Space Programme to share best practice, explore future cooperation on space launch, and promote commercial partnerships.
They also welcomed the UK-Oman Innovation Initiative, regional innovation links, Growth Hub and Growth Fund mechanisms to help UK and Omani businesses grow, scale and access each other’s markets.
The two nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace, stability and dialogue in the Middle East and beyond, and agreed to strengthen cooperation on conflict prevention, peaceful resolution, humanitarian response and multilateral engagement.
They reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution as the only viable basis for a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.
They also underscored the importance of adherence to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, reaffirming in this context Oman’s sovereignty over Omani waters in the Strait of Hormuz and the importance of maintaining maritime security, freedom of navigation and the safe passage of international shipping in accordance with international law.
To support this cooperation, they will strengthen collaboration between His Majesty’s Diplomatic Service College and the Oman Diplomatic Academy.
The United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Oman reaffirmed their shared commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050 and to demonstrating international leadership on climate, nature and environmental protection.
Both countries recognised the importance of clean energy and resilient supply chains in supporting sustainable growth.
On education and skills, both sides welcomed the reopening of the Chevening Scholarship for the first time since 2021, a British Council pilot on AI-assisted education in Omani schools, the new Oman Net Zero Centre-Cardiff University scholarships, and stronger links in skills and professional qualifications.
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