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Oman accords warm welcome to Queen

MUSCAT — Oman rolled out the red carpet for Queen Elizabeth of Britain as she arrived on Thursday evening on a four-day state visit to attend celebrations marking 40 years of rule by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

The British monarch, accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Foreign Secretary William Hague, was greeted upon her arrival at the Royal Airport by Sultan Qaboos, royal family members, ministers and top ranking Omani officials.

After the welcome ceremony at the airport, the two leaders left for Bait al Barakah. The British Queen is visiting Oman after more than 30 years – she was last here in 1979, which was followed by Sultan Qaboos’ state visit to the UK in 1982. Omani and British officials said the two countries attached considerable significance to Queen Elizabeth’s current tour of the sultanate, adding that it would give a new fillip to centuries-old ties.

Oman-Britain relations stretch back over 200 years with treaties of friendship signed in 1798, 1800, 1891 and 1951. Recently, there have been several high level visitors in both directions with more planned in the coming months.

Some 7,000 British citizens live and work in Oman – the largest western expatriate group in the country. Many Omanis have houses or business interests in the UK and see the UK as a second home. Sultan Qaboos completed part of his secondary education in Suffolk and subsequently attended Sandhurst Military Academy.

ravindranath@khaleejtimes.com