Oman and United States hold first Strategic Dialogue talks

The first session of the Strategic Dialogue between the Sultanate of Oman and the United States of America was held in Muscat today.

The Omani side was headed by Sheikh Khalifa Alharthy, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs, while the US side was headed by Jose W. Fernandez, Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment.

The session of talks covered issues related to maximising the benefit of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries. The talks also discussed  increasing US investments in priority sectors for Oman and encouraging cooperation in the field of digital economy.

The dialogue also touched on cooperation in the fields of alternative energy, green hydrogen, education and culture. There was a particular focus on educational programmes, investment in innovation, scientific research and curriculum development and teacher training. The talks also covered cooperation in the field of museums and the promotion of Omani publications.

Sheikh Khalifa said that by focussing the session on various sectors, such as renewable energy, education, culture and trade and investment, it is hoped that the dialogue will contribute to activating economic, technical and cultural relations between Oman and the United States.

‏Oman and the United States also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the dialogue session with the aim of promoting investment in fields of strategic importance for the Sultanate's economy.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.