King Charles III praised Oman’s peacemaking attempts in the Middle East Tuesday as Sultan Haitham bin Tariq began the first state visit by an Omani ruler to the UK in nearly half a century.
Around the same time, and in a further sign of the instability gripping the Middle East, the UK government announced British fighter planes will be deployed to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against increasing attacks from Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels. jj/ach Shell BP Airbus Group This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Oman, a key UK military ally which borders the vital Hormuz waterway, has acted as a mediator in talks between the United States and Iran since the conflict flared in late February. The first state visit to Britain by a Sultan of Oman for 44 years comes amid severe turbulence in the Middle East prompted by the US-Iran war.
Hailing longstanding diplomatic, military and royal ties at a Windsor Castle banquet, the British monarch paid tribute to Muscat’s “noble efforts” to help reopen the choked Strait of Hormuz. “I would especially like to recognise, at a time when conflict has returned so painfully to the region, Oman’s enduring commitment as a trusted interlocutor to all parties,” Charles told around 160 guests at the lavish dinner. “Oman’s role across the Gulf and her ‘constructive neutrality’ as you put it matters far beyond Hormuz, and is worthy of our utmost respect,” Britain’s king added in a toast to the Omani sultan.
The Omani sultan is due to hold talks Wednesday in Downing Street with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, when security, trade and investment are expected to be high on the agenda. Burnham was among those at Tuesday’s banquet, alongside the bosses of Shell, BP and Airbus as well as various royals and other dignitaries. The UK has been a long-term military ally of Oman, with British forces having trained alongside Omani forces in their country for decades and the port town Duqm having hosted an enduring UK strategic military presence. The Oxford-educated Sultan held a private lunch with the royals, followed by a viewing of Royal Collection artefacts relating to Oman-UK relations.
In his remarks, Charles said Britain and Oman were “bonded by diplomacy, defence, trade, and trust”.
The Omani ruler kicked off his three-day visit earlier Tuesday with a royal welcome in Windsor, west of London, from the king and his wife Queen Camilla, alongside Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales.
