Foreign Minister visits Oman garden at Expo 2023 Doha
Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, Minister visited the Sultanate's garden at the Expo 2023 Horticultural Exhibition in Doha, hosted by the State of Qatar.
It also displays cutting edge technologies being developed in Oman to tackle climate change.
Oman's garden follows the overall theme of the Expo of “Green Desert – Better Environment”.
The exhibition, in which 68 countries and international organisations are taking part, focuses on themes of sustainability, environmental awareness, technology, innovation and modern farming.
Sayyid Badr and his accompanying delegation were received at the Expo by Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Subaie, Qatar's Minister for Municipalities.
Oman's Foreign Minister listened to a detailed explanation about the Omani Garden which recreates some of the Sultanate's key environments, simulating the agricultural terraces of Jabal Al Akhdar in Al Dakhiliyah, the Dhofar monsoon environment and the semi-arid environment.
The Garden also displays some of the unique trees of the Sultanate, including the frankincense tree and the baobab tree found in Dhofar, the last significant preserve of such trees in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Oman Garden also allows visitors to learn about the engineering and cultural heritage of the centuries-old Omani aflaj irrigation system and how it reflects the values of cooperation, tolerance and dialogue among local communities.
The Minister was also shown a fountain made of Peridotite rocks. These rocks are common in all parts of Oman and are known for their property of capturing and storing carbon dioxide gas.
The Oman-based project 44.01 recently won the Earthshot environmental prize for its work on eliminating CO2 by mineralising it in peridotite, so removing it from the atmosphere safely, efficiently and permanently.
After visiting the Oman Garden, Sayyid Badr and his accompanying delegation visited the exhibitions created by several Gulf countries and the pavilion of the Gulf Cooperation Council. He also visited the exhibition of the State of Palestine. The Minister praised the diversity and innovation of the exhibitions.
Sayyid Badr commented that the Expo 2023 horticultural exhibition represents a platform for exchanging experiences and innovations in the fields of sustainability and biological diversity, He said that it is a unique opportunity to emphasise the importance of food and water security and using the latest technologies and renewable energy to meet the challenges of climate change and reducing carbon emissions.
Oman's Foreign Minister praised the initiative of Qatar in hosting the Expo, as part of its support for international efforts towards achieving sustainable development goals. He stressed the importance of the event in enhancing knowledge about environmental sustainability and the green econom.
Sayyid Badr was accompanied by Khalid Almuslahi, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Sayyid Ammar Abdullah Sultan Albusaidi, Oman's Ambassador to Qatar, the Head of the Foreign Ministry's Department for the GCC States, and the Commissioner General of the Omani Garden at the Expo, as well as a number of officials from the Foreign Ministry and from the Sultanate's Embassy in Doha.
This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.