Oman celebrates the 54th anniversary of its National Day

The Sultanate of Oman celebrates its 54th National Day, a very special date for the Gulf country and a great opportunity to highlight the national achievements throughout the years of its existence. 

This 18 November marks the modern renaissance of Oman as the Sultanate is known today, following the modernisation process initiated by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Oman celebrates its National Day on 18 November, coinciding with the birthday of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who initiated a period of renaissance and development that has marked the country. 

Qaboos bin Said's reign began when he assumed power in 1970 after the end of the British protectorate and ended in January 2020 with his death. 

The legacy of Sultan Qaboos bin Said is one that the current Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq, who took office in January 2020 after the death of his predecessor, seeks to continue. 

After assuming the reins of power on 11 January 2020, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq designated 18 November as the national day of rebirth that the Sultanate celebrates every year, in a reverential gesture that expresses loyalty, honesty and feelings of appreciation towards the late Sultan. 

While Sultan Qaboos is considered the founder of Oman's modern renaissance, his successor, Haitham bin Tariq, after assuming power, established another renewed phase and set out some of its features in the so-called ‘Oman Vision 2040’. 

The Arab country maintains an important status in the Middle East after many years. It has always been considered a neutral and mediating country on the regional stage, a stage that has always been troubled by clashes and confrontations between various surrounding nations. 

Oman, once known as the ‘Switzerland of the Arabian Peninsula’, is characterised by its neutrality and is a rare example of stability in the turbulent Middle East. 

In the midst of wars such as the one in Gaza or the one on the border between Israel and Lebanon, Oman continues on its path with significant institutional stability and a mediating and neutral role that allows it to have peaceful and constructive relations with all the nations around it. 

Its philosophy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states (unlike other interventionist and belligerent countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran) has to do with Ibadism, a branch of Islam prevalent in the southern Arabian Peninsula that promotes dialogue and tolerance. Oman fuses Islamic elements and a state structure that promotes gender equality, religious tolerance and openness to foreign trade. 

The Omani roadmap is now marked by the Oman Vision 2040 programme, developed under the instructions of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, which focuses on people as the basis of any economic and development strategy, as noted by the Omani state. 

The Sultan of Oman has committed, as part of this programme, to reorganise the state's administrative structure and establish a provincial system aimed at decentralising the administration, which seeks to simplify and enhance the national development process. 

Another important strand of the Vision 2040 programme is to encourage both domestic and foreign investment and to diversify the national economy away from dependence on a single source of national wealth, such as hydrocarbons. Oman's economy has always been based on the exploitation of large reserves of oil and natural gas, although it is now seeking to boost other sectors in order to have a more diversified economy, more in line with the current times. This strategy is also being followed by other neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 

National policy is very focused on national social, political and economic development, within the postulates of Vision 2040, for the next 15 years. 

Meanwhile, foreign policy is marked by a policy of neutrality and non-interference in the national affairs of other countries, as has become evident. 

Oman seeks to be neutral and non-interfering in the affairs of other nations and always seeks to bring a positive resolution to regional and global disputes. All of this is also aimed at strengthening strong ties with the other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab sphere, as well as with all countries around the globe. 

A multi-level strategy that seeks to strengthen Oman's position both internally and externally as a symbol of progress, stability and respect in the Gulf and on the international geopolitical stage.