State Visit of His Majesty Haitham Bin Tarik Sultan of Oman, 13 to 15 December 2023

Following a ceremonial welcome at the Istana this morning, Sultan of Oman His Majesty Haitham Bin Tarik called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and met separately with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. President Tharman and Sultan Haitham reaffirmed the warm ties between Singapore and Oman. As trading and maritime nations straddling strategic waterways, Singapore and Oman share common interests including promoting multilateralism and a rules-based international order. Both leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas such as green energy, trade and investments, technical and vocational training, and promoting cultural exchanges. The Jewel of Muscat and Muscat Street projects were testament to the mutual goodwill and strong friendship between both countries.

  Prime Minister Lee and Sultan Haitham welcomed the good momentum in bilateral exchanges and the convening of the inaugural Singapore – Oman Strategic Dialogue in December 2022. They agreed there was scope to strengthen economic cooperation for mutual benefit including the review of the Gulf Cooperation Council-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. Prime Minister Lee welcomed Oman’s interest to learn from each other's experiences in areas such as public administration, education and energy. Prime Minister Lee and Sultan Haitham also had a useful exchange of views on regional and international geopolitical developments.

Two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were signed during the State Visit to cooperate in the areas of culture and youth, and economic development. The list of MOUs is at Annex.

Sultan Haitham also visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens and had a new orchid hybrid, the Dendrobium H.M. Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, named in his honour. President Tharman will host a State Banquet later this evening in honour of Sultan Haitham. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong will call on Sultan Haitham tomorrow.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

14 DECEMBER 2023

Annex

MOU in the fields of culture and youth between the Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

MOU in the field of economic development between the Oman Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise

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President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Oman Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik on 14 December 2023. (Photo credits: Betty Chua, Ministry of Communications and Information)

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Oman Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik on 14 December 2023. (Photo credits: Ministry of Communications and Information)