The Sultanate of Oman is nowadays celebrating its 46th National Day, the 18th of November anniversary, which remains carved deeply in the memory of the Omani people, and whose benign reality projects itself everywhere on the landscape. This historic date represents a major turning point in the life of Omani citizens.

    Since the outset of the Omani modern renaissance under the leadership of HM Sultan Qaboos Bin Said 46 years ago, Oman has entered into a new stage of its glorious history. The country was on a tryst with the launch of a comprehensive strategy to establish a prosperous present and a promising future.

    The renaissance strategy covered all aspects of life and its outreach prevailed at all levels on the domestic front and on external relations, thus offering the Sultanate an admirable status among sisterly and friendly countries in this region and in the world at large.

    Because Oman has a deep-rooted history and a prominent location, it has always played a vital role at different epochs. The prudent vision of Sultan Qaboos drew insights from Oman’s history and its strategic location.

    The Sultan has had a dream of establishing a modern state that enjoys peace, security and stability and achieves a better life for the Omani people. Not only that, this vision inspired the leader’s aspiration that peace, security and stability might prevail in the Gulf region, the surrounding region and the world at large, so that all countries and their peoples would enjoy constant growth and prosperity.

    The National Day represents an opportunity for the Omani people to express their deep thanks and gratitude to the builder of modern Oman. It is also an opportunity to ponder on the achievements and objectives of various types of national action.

    The renaissance accomplishments are actually a source of pride for all and they are an incentive to exert more efforts to achieve further achievements. Attention to be accorded to citizens and provide them with all the basic services should always be placed on top of development plans, the Sultan confirmed.

    The Council of Oman (with its bicameral bodies of State Council and Majlis Ash’shura) has been helping in implementing development programmes and finding solutions to economic and social obstacles. The Municipal Councils emerge as another consultative arm that offers views and recommendations about means to develop municipal services.

    With their role complementing that of Oman Council, the Municipal Councils have been earnest in discussing developmental issues and closely following up and expressing the needs of citizens. They are in constant contact with various government departments.

    Within the view that the 9th Five Year Plan (2016-2020) is the last phase of the Omani economic vision (Oman 2020), it is understood that what will be achieved within the framework of Tanfeedh will constitute a solid foundation for the future and will pave the way for the next Strategic Vision (Oman 2040), which is being drafted now.

    The year 2016 forms a turning point in the Omani development track with a view to safeguarding achievements made over the past 46 years in accordance with Vision 2020 objectives. These objectives include providing jobs for Omani youths, focusing efforts on social solidarity through education, training, health and human resources development and improving economic diversification through the development of promising sectors: converting industries, logistics services, transport, tourism, fisheries and mining.

In the backdrops of dwindling oil prices and their impacts on the country's budget, the Sultanate has adopted a host of measures to guarantee the soundness of the state’s financial position. It capitalized on enhancing economic growth by continuing developmental projects of economic and social priority and by providing proper support to furnish an encouraging environment for private sector investments. 

In the meantime, the Sultanate continued to maintain basic public services. The state’s budget this year focused on a set of procedures, namely: increasing the flexibility and sustainability of the fiscal system, rescheduling public resources by increasing oil revenues’ contribution to the state’s total revenues and, diminishing dependence on oil resources and raising the capacity of state-owned companies by founding holding companies whose job is to draft plans and strategies in accordance with new governance principles. 

Estimated total revenues in the 2016 budget stood at RO 8.6 billion, of them RO 4.56 billion as net oil revenues, RO 1.6 billion as gas revenues and RO 2.4 billion as current revenues. 

In the first half of 2016, the Sultanate’s oil production increased to 1 million barrels per day as against 970,000 bpd in the corresponding period in 2015. Accordingly, Oman’s crude and condensates rose by 182 million barrels per day by mid-2016, compared to 175.6 million barrels per day by mid-2015. 

In the meantime, oil exports rose from 154.8 million barrels to 164.5 million barrels. However, the average price of Oman Crude dropped to $35 in the first six months this year, from $59.3 during the corresponding period in 2015. 

Oman economic policies gained international acclaim due to the country’s advanced position in global economic reports. In the annual report of Transparency International index 2015-2016 issued by World Economic Forum (Davos, Switzerland), the Sultanate won sixth place among Arab states and 62nd place in the world at large. 

The Sultanate also ranked 7th in the Arab world and 14th worldwide in the index of logistic serves for nascent markets in 2016. This report was filed by Agility agency of Switzerland, a corruption monitoring watchdog. The index is based on two criteria, which are business practice and communication environment which help attract logistic service suppliers, customs clearance agencies, distributors and cargo companies of all types. China topped the rating, which covered 45 countries. 

Oman also won second place among Arab countries and ranked 26th among world countries in the Global Food Security Index 2016 issued by the Economist magazine of Britain. This annual index convers 113 countries and indicates that the Sultanate got 73.6 out of 100 points in the index. 

In the context of economic diversification, the directives of Sultan Qaboos gave rise to the activation of a pioneering national programme codenamed Tanfeedh (or execution), which seeks revolutionize specific plans, programmes and policies across the various economic sectors in accordance with well-studied and executable visions, with major focus on the five main economic projects of converting industries, tourism, logistics, mining and fisheries. Tanfeedh follows up all work requirements, right from supplies through financing and employment to the labour market needs. 

Within the view that the 9th Five Year Plan (2016-2020) is the last phase of the Omani economic vision (Oman 2020), it is understood that what will be achieved within the framework of Tanfeedh will constitute a solid foundation for the future and will pave the way for the next Strategic Vision (Oman 2040), which is being drafted now. 

A tremendous boost to the country’s socioeconomic drive was the issuance of Royal Decree No. 48/2016 on the promulgation of the National Training Fund. This development goes in line with the national development needs now and in the future and it symbolizes the Sultan’s keenness to put to action the objective recommendations and studies aimed at optimizing the use of human resources. 

Programmes such as Tanfeedh, which caps the 9th Five Year Plan, and Royal decrees and other Royal directives reflect the Sultan’s deep understanding and concern for the welfare of citizens.  

 

Over the years of the blessed renaissance, Sultan Qaboos has shaped the Omani foreign policy in accordance with solid principles founded on consistency, balance, clarity and rationality in establishing relations with countries of the world and in tackling various regional and international issues. 

This Oman foreign policy stems from the country's strategic location, its deep-rooted history and its spirit of belonging and solidarity with Arab and Islamic world. 

In various local and international occasions, Sultan Qaboos has reaffirmed the fundamentals and principles of that policy when establishing friendly relations with different countries of the world. The Sultan laid emphasis on joint cooperation, exchange of benefits and interests, establishment of good relations with neighboring countries, non-interference in the internal affairs of others and mutual respect for the rights and policies of countries. 

Oman advocates commitment to principles of justice, fairness, peace and harmony, the settlement of disputes by peaceful means and the safeguarding of security and stability in the region. This is in addition to respecting international charters and treaties, commitment to rules of the international law and supporting issues of legitimate cause in global arenas. 

In this respect, Sultan Qaboos said, "While we take pride in friendships which bind Oman and the international community, we also reaffirm our keenness to continue playing our full role in the international arena in accordance with principles which we approved since the beginning as a starting point for our policies which strives sincerely for friendship, cooperation and support for the legitimate cause of all peoples and countries of the world and (this policy) works to achieve peace and stability at international levels." Omani diplomacy implemented the enlightened thought of Sultan Qaboos in developing good foreign relations and utilizing that for the service of national development and the settlement of many regional and international issues and crises. The stand of Oman is therefore based on reality, wisdom, farsightedness, tact, consistency and calculation of consequences. That is how Oman developed its own balanced foreign policy in regional and international arenas replete with discrepancies and upheavals. 

The Sultanate has been enhancing efforts for peace and continuously supporting peaceful initiatives in various regional disputes, working for rapprochement so that these issues could see a successful end that guarantees the intactness of countries and the interests of their peoples on the basis of participation, justice and equality.

Source: QNA