A podcast interview with Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, by “Al Monitor”
Oman's Foreign Minister, His Excellency Sayyid Badr Albusaidi gave a Podcast interview to Andrew Parasiliti on various issues relating to regional foreign policy and current affairs, broadcasted on Thursday, January 27, 2022, by “Al-Monitor” podcast “On the Middle East”. The summary of the interview is as follows:
Introduction by Andrew Parasiliti:
Sayyid Badr was appointed Foreign Minister in August 2020, after a distinguished 30-year career in Oman's Foreign Service, including as Ambassador, Undersecretary, and from 2007 to 2020, as Secretary-General with the rank of Minister. Among his many accomplishments cited Sayyid Badr led the negotiations with the United States concerning labor law issues, which began in 1993 and subsequently led to Omani membership in the World Trade Organization in 2000, and to a US Omani free trade agreement in 2006.
He also established an office for political analysis in the foreign ministry, to provide systemic assessment and policy analysis of key international and regional issues.
Sayyid Badr is a master's degree graduate from Oxford University in politics, philosophy, and economics, and has given priority in his personal and professional life to the promotion of human rights, cultural diplomacy, tolerance, and mutual understanding, and the advancement of women in public life.
A few quick facts about Oman, it is a country of more than 5 million people, situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula bordering the UAE, Yemen and Saudi Arabia and with maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan.
Oman is a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council and a member of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the UN and all the leading international organizations.
The US and Oman have had a relationship by treaty since 1833, including the free trade agreement that we mentioned earlier. Oman has been instrumental and respected internationally as a facilitator of regional diplomacy, including with Iran, and was the location of the early US Iran back channel meetings, which eventually led to the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.
Given Oman's critical role in regional diplomacy and all that's happening in Oman in the Middle East, I am delighted to welcome our guest Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, to talk about developments in Oman and in the region.
Andrew Parasiliti:
It's been just over two years since Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said became Sultan of Oman, replacing the late Sultan Qaboos. Now these were incredibly big shoes to fill, and came on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the transition has been smooth and marked by continuity and progress in addition to the many challenges Oman and all countries are facing. I want to get into foreign policy but can I begin by asking about the economic progress and priorities under Sultan Haitham. Oman has been praised for its handling of the economy. The economic hit was less than anticipated because of COVID. The country is expected to return to positive GDP growth this year and next, there have been initiatives that government and bureaucratic reform as well as diversification away from oil, introduction of a value added tax, the establishment of two new government agencies, the Oman Investment Authority to improve management of public assets, and the Energy Development of Oman Agency to manage and finance investments in energy.
Can you briefly place these developments in the context of Sultan Haitham’s vision for the country and the economy? And what are the priorities and challenges ahead?
Sayyid Badr:
Like all countries over the last two years, a great deal of Omani energy and resources have been devoted to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although we have experienced our own share of loss, illness and acute pressures on public services, and the economy, I'm really proud to say, of the resilience, and resourcefulness with which Omanis have responded to the multiple challenges, particularly the pandemic, and we have made excellent use of our strong health infrastructure.
Above all, I want to stress, there was, and is, I am glad to say, a powerful spirit of togetherness, and social unity. This was clear in the public response, as you have probably seen, to the effects of the cyclone that we've been hit with, cyclone Shaheen, which hit very hard parts of Northern Oman, in the Batinah region, where people really volunteered, travelled long distances, to help clear up, repair, and support those whose homes and businesses were damaged.
This gives us great confidence for the future, because this sort of unity and sense of citizen participation, is one of our top priorities and greatest strengths as we move forward.
The government of Sultan Haitham has developed an overall plan for national development, the Oman Vision 2040. It was created under the leadership of His Majesty the Sultan, and it sets for all of us ambitious targets to be achieved over the next 20 years.
There are targets for economic development, focusing on economic diversification, the knowledge economy, renewables, education, and job creation and employment. There are also targets for the quality and responsiveness of government and public services.
The inclusive mutual support shown by our citizens over the last two years will be an essential element in our work to achieve these targets, and the government policies will continue to promote inclusiveness as a core value.
In Oman, we understand the relationship between domestic and foreign policy, they cannot be separated from each other, not only must we all act in coordination across all aspects of government work, but foreign policy has a particularly vital role to play in making sure that our international relations are perfectly aligned with our objectives for national development.
Today, foreign policy is something that requires everyone involved in international relations to have a sound understanding of a much wider range of issues such as economics, technology, the environment, health and education, and many other fields.
It also means that our colleagues here involved in the development and implementation of domestic policy, including business leaders in the private sector, need also a sophisticated and up to date understanding of the global issues, and it’s part of my job and the foreign ministry’s job to keep colleagues and businesses continuously up to speed on international developments.
This is why Vision 2040 provides a crucial framework for establishing foreign policy priorities, and this means that Oman's foreign policy must prioritize its agenda for economic development, which is underpinned by diversification, by investment in education, by innovation, and so on.
The Vision really is the driving force, which is also about developing the government structures to make us more responsive, more transparent, and more inclusive. I see a key role for the foreign ministry here to, in this regard.
It has been a very challenging period, but we are confident, as you have probably noticed and mentioned, our fiscal position is now sound and improving. It's on the right direction, and we have seen Oman recently upgraded in the position of international rating agencies. Our fiscal outlook, according to moody, Standard and Poor's, and Fitch are all showing stable and improving. This gives us a solid foundation to make real progress towards some of the more ambitious economic goals we have set ourselves in the Vision.
His Majesty will continue exploring further economic reforms, with consideration being given to how to eliminate wasteful subsidies, rationalize more the public sector employment, provide an appropriate social safety net, and develop ways for those who enjoy the privileges of relative wealth to make an appropriate contribution to the common good.
In this respect, I am very much feeling confident and optimistic that our renewed emphasis on inclusion will contribute to making Oman an even more attractive and more desirable location for foreign business and investments.
Andrew parasiliti:
Thank you for that. Now, let's get into some of the foreign policy issues that Oman and the region are facing. As I mentioned in the introduction, Oman has always been known as a trusted facilitator for diplomacy, including with regard to Iran, and with most countries throughout the region, because you keep good relations with all of the key countries. And it was in Oman, that the early back channel talks took place leading to the Iran nuclear deal. Now, how do you see the Iran nuclear talks that are going on now in Vienna? In what would be your counsel to the parties to those talks, including Iran? In the United States? Are you hopeful of an agreement? And if so, do you think Iran can be trusted to abide by a nuclear deal? If there is one?
Sayyid Badr:
Oman's foreign policy contributes to the goals of Vision 2040 in three key avenues: 1) We work to ensure a secure and stable environment in which Oman's economy can grow, 2) we promote an outward looking approach that enables us to find the right markets, the right partners and investors across the globe, and 3) we actively encourage and create structures to support joint projects and international, industrial and commercial collaborations.
All three of these strands of our work towards the goal of achieving and the realization of Vision 2040, are therefore supported by Oman's long standing foreign policy emphasis on dialogue, and on maintaining friendly relationships with everyone.
What this means is that we always try to include everyone, in all crucial conversations. This is a key strand in our foreign policy. And therefore, we really try not to close any avenues for communication or reject offers for dialogue. This priority underpins, all our key relationships and our approach to regional issues. And this is in response to the question on Iran.
We have maintained always an optimistic stance about the ongoing negotiations in Vienna, which aims for the return of the United States to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We are confident that both Iran and the United States wish to reach an agreement. I think everyone involved also recognizes the importance of building trust, and I underline that word, on all sides in order to ensure that this time, the agreement is going to be sustainable. It is not going to be easy, we all know that, it is not going to be easy for all parties to reach that end goal. But in order for them to do so, perhaps the most important prerequisite will be finding a way where all parties feel confident enough about the stability and the sustainability of the agreement.
I’ve been talking with interlocutors in Tehran, and also in Europe and in the United States. I have confidence in the integrity and the good intention of all participants in these talks. We firmly believe that such an agreement would really serve the interests of everyone, and of the whole international community without exception. This is a good agreement for peace and security in our region and the world, and it’s important to support the negotiations in the hope that they will reach an agreement at the end of the day.
Andrew parasiliti:
Let's talk about the link between the negotiations in Vienna and what's happening in the region. There have been several regional initiatives to engage Iran, there are the Saudi Iran talks that have taken place in Baghdad, there's an increase in UAE – Iran diplomacy after years of acrimony. And there is of course, as you just described, or Oman's consistent approach to dialogue and dealing with Iran and all parties. How hopeful are you that the Arab Gulf states can settle their own accounts with Iran? And how much of that depends on the negotiations in Vienna and the role of the United States and other outside powers?
Sayyid Badr:
We will continue to believe in the power of dialogue and direct engagement. Iran is a regional country, and in whatever way you look at it, we need to come to terms with our differences through dialogue, and reach an understanding where all parties can really play a constructive role in resolving issues, in finding ways of deepening cooperation. Because at the end of the day, it is in everybody's interests, and indeed, in everybody's intention, that we want an environment of stability, security, and of peace, which will allow the peoples of the region at the end of the day to prosper further, to deepen their interests, and to make the region more attractive for our partners to invest and do business with.
I think there is a growing realization how important this has become, given the lessons of the past, and hopefully learning from those lessons for the future. There is no other avenue, but to have an understanding to talk with each other directly, not at each other, but to talk with each other, in order to reach that ultimate goal of understanding and cooperation.
Andrew parasiliti:
War in Yemen is now more than five years old, it's been labeled by the UN is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. There are approximately 30 million people in Yemen about 46% according to some estimates of that population is under 15 years old. Even when this war ends, we have the potential for a chronic failing state, and as we have seen further escalation in recent weeks with Houthi rocket strikes on the UAE and calls for the US to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist group. Oman is a neighbor of Yemen. It's played a role, quiet role in Yemen diplomacy. How do you assess the UN and Biden administration's Yemen diplomacy and peace plans? In what more can and should be done to bring the fighting to a close?
Sayyid Badr:
It's a very complicated crisis, but the bottom line is that, this Yemeni problem needs, ultimately a Yemeni solution. Our role is to help facilitate that, help that to happen. It's taken far long, unfortunately, and took away so much resources and lives along these seven or eight years.
As a first priority, I believe there is a really urgent need to see a full ceasefire in place, that would allow Yemen, and all the parties involved in this conflict, as well as all the friends of Yemen, to start the task of repairing the incalculable humanitarian damage that has been done.
On a political level, we continue to feel that there has been just too much emphasis on the role of external parties. We know that Saudi Arabia seeks an end to the conflict and to its involvement, and we think that Iran's support for the Houthis is perhaps real, but really often overstated.
Yemen, needs a Yemeni led set of factors to reach a solution, and we can help in that. This current escalation, as we have seen in recent days, has been deeply distressing. We have condemned it and Oman stands strong with the United States and with the United Nations and with our neighbors in calling for de-escalation of these recent developments. Attacks on civilians and non-military targets have been a consistent and disturbing feature of this conflict. We urge everyone, all parties to exercise restraint, and go back to a sense of calm and go back to exploring avenues for dialogue, and negotiations. So, we can all come together to bring an end to this war.
Andrew Parasiliti:
The Houthis be re-designated by the United States as a terrorist organization?
Sayyid Badr:
The Houthis are an important component of the solution, eventually. They need to be engaged and recognized as an important component like other components in Yemen, because we want them to be part of the solution. They are there, we just cannot isolate them, and designate them in a way that might really undermine what we are all trying to do, in bringing them to the negotiating table, and finding solutions to the reason why we have this conflict in the first place.
It would be a mistake, to just look at the symptoms and the effects. We want to address the reasons. That can only be done by engaging all parties, including the Houthis, which are important players to find solutions to this conflict, which has taken so much resources and so much lives.
It's in everyone's interest to really focus their energy in finding solutions through dialogue and negotiations under an environment of calm, and maybe an environment of ceasefire. Isolating any party or designating them in that category is probably not very helpful. It's not going to bring what we all want to see, an end to this conflict.
Andrew Parasiliti:
There has been talk, rumor for some time that Oman could be among the next Arab countries to join the Abraham accords. Is this a possibility? And under what conditions would Oman be willing to take that step?
Sayyid Badr:
Let me first emphasize that the most serious division and source of tension in the region is the unresolved issue of Palestine. That’s a known fact and no one can disagree with it. Now, a continuing failure to find a final, just and peaceful resolution to this Palestinian issue has really exposed the region and all the people living in it to enduring instability.
And although it is, perhaps, not the root cause of all conflicts, it is a major and a central contributing factor in numerous cases that our region has been struggling with. Oman has always supported genuine, bilateral and multilateral efforts to find a solution, including taking pioneering initiatives in opening a trade office in Israel, back in the 1990s.
So, dealing and engaging with Israel is nothing new. We've tried it before. And we were pioneers in this regard. Multilaterally, if I may just point to the success story of the Middle East desalination Research Center, which we continue to host in Oman, as an institution which was founded within the multilateral phase of the Madrid peace process, demonstrates that concrete pragmatic actions targeted at specific shared problems can foster mutual understanding and cooperation.
While bilateral relations are welcome, always welcome, we should remain mindful of the strategic importance to see progress on the two-state solution that the whole world is calling for. This is the best way to make a real and lasting peace, and indeed, to develop full normalization of relations with the State of Israel. If there are developments, that suggest a real willingness to engage on a multilateral basis, with a commitment to achieving a two-state solution and a comprehensive peace, the Sultanate of Oman, will be among the first to offer its active support, just as we have done so in the past, in the 1990s, and even before the 1990s, when we stood out in supporting the Camp David Accords back in the 1970s.
Andrew Parasiliti:
Oman, Egypt and the UAE among several Arab states have been moving in the direction of support for Syria’s return to the Arab League. This is opposed by the United States, is Syria’s return to the Arab fold a priority for Oman and how do you see that trend developing?
Sayyid Badr:
Oman was among the very few states that maintained its relationship with Syria, even though Syria was no longer in the Arab League as its membership was frozen, because we always believe that there needs to be some channel of dialogue and engagement with Syria.
Syria is a founding member of the Arab League. It's a crucial player. Bringing it back to the fold is becoming increasingly a concept that ought to be embraced because we can help that country in finding a solution to the problems, by engagement and inclusivity, not by isolation.
We have seen over the years that we have hardly managed to achieve any progress by isolating Syria and the Syrian regime. I think engagement is probably more promising to bringing about a solution to the crisis in Syria. In encouraging them to reconciliate with all the other various parties on the Syrian scene, to find and to forge a Syrian solution to that problem, and forge a future for that important country in the Arab League.
Andrew parasiliti:
It was a year ago that the Al-Ula summit was held, which led to blockading GCC countries and Egypt to restore ties with Qatar. Oman and Kuwait were vital to this reconciliation. Can you comment on developments over the past year, among the states? Are the wounds healing as you hoped and expected?
Sayyid Badr:
I am pleased that the GCC post Al-Ula Summit is moving ahead in the right direction, and continues to restore relations between its members. We are deeply appreciative of the efforts made by Kuwait and by others. All parties in this context are meeting more regularly. We are back, on all levels.
The Summits have continued to convene. There is still more work that needs to be conducted to fully restore the relationships, and we continue to support the relationships between Qatar and all the other countries that were involved in this.
The visit of His Majesty the Sultan to Saudi Arabia was particularly an important development, and it signaled again, a strong message to foster more relationships between the neighbors, important neighbors, and I think it sends the right signals to the people of the GCC that business is progressing and there's a potential for growth for all of us, for the people to benefit from.
We are very pleased with the developments viz a-viz the Omani-Saudi relationship, the opening of the road border crossing between our two countries is particularly a historic event, an important step towards further and deeper cooperation. So really, we are optimistic that the GCC is coming together, slowly but surely, and there are so many projects to be realized and major developments in infrastructure, connectivity. With that will transform the economic dimension, not just of Oman and Saudi Arabia, but also enhancing the dynamic relationships among all the GCC countries.