ShareBy Faten Omar
KUWAIT: The Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Kuwait celebrated on Tuesday its 53rd National Day. “Our National Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on Oman’s past and draw inspiration from it for our future. This year my priority is to reaffirm Oman’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination. Gaza is currently subject to brutal and random (Zionist entity) aggression,” Oman’s Ambassador to Kuwait Dr Saleh Al-Kharousi said during his opening remarks.
The ambassador called on all policymakers to listen to their conscience and do everything in their power to stop this senseless war immediately and to achieve peace, to support those civilians who are suffering, and to stop the violence as well as open safe passages for the entry of relief aid into Gaza. “In today’s world, it is impossible to be blind to the suffering. You cannot look the other way. And we have a responsibility to act in pursuit of justice, in whatever way we can. The only solution is to end the illegitimate (Zionist) occupation of Palestinian territories and establish an independent Palestinian state, with the borders of June 4, 1967, and East Jerusalem as its capital.
This solution is in accordance with international law. It is in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations. And the establishment of a two-state solution is the clear objective of the Arab Peace Initiative,” he added. On the other hand, Omani ambassador extolled the half-a-century of the bilateral relationship between Oman and the fraternal and friendly State of Kuwait and the cooperation in political, diplomatic, economic, media, cultural, and artistic fields, pointing out that this relationship receives special attention and royal directives from Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and his brother, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
“To date, the number of agreements signed between Oman and Kuwait has reached 32 since 1974. On economic affairs, the volume of trade exchange between the two countries exceeded 160 million Omani riyals until the end of April 2023. This is in addition to the distinguished strategic partnership in the Dum Economic Zone, in which the volume of investments reached more than $15 billion in the energy sector. It is considered one of the largest joint Gulf investments,” he revealed.
Regarding the Omani Vision for 2040, Ambassador Kharousi said that this vision aims to elevate his country to the ranks of advanced countries in the fields of economy, society, environment, governance, and institutional development. He said, “As part of Vision 2040, Oman is pursuing national strategies for economic diversification, energy transition, and carbon neutrality by 2050 as Oman aims to take a leading position in the world’s green hydrogen industry,” mentioning that his country’s aims to produce more than one million tons of green hydrogen by the year 2030 and by 2050, to produce approximately 8 million tons. “Our experience in energy production and export, our strong international partnerships, and our position close to global markets and trade routes will enable us to excel.
Oman has accelerated the industry’s regulation, enhanced investment attraction, and begun to localize green hydrogen technology. This is in line with global shifts towards reducing carbon emissions,” he concluded.
