Sultan of Oman appoints new foreign minister

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of the Sultanate of Oman issued 28 Royal decrees on August 18, delegating his own authorities and naming new ministers in a significant government revamp, Oman News Agency reported.

Some new ministries were created, others merged or renamed, including a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

His Majesty the Sultan appointed top diplomat HE Badr Al Busaidi as Foreign Minister in the reshuffle. He replaces long-serving minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, who was Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs for the past two decades during the reign of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The late Sultan himself held the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Finance.

Badr Al Busaidi, 60, has been in the diplomatic service since the 1980s and held a number of posts, including that of secretary-general of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

His Majesty the Sultan’s son, HH Dhilyazen bin Haitham, will head the new Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
The reshuffle seems to be in line with the country’s Vision 2040. His Majesty the Sultan leads the main committee of Vision 2040, the government’s strategy to diversify the economy away from oil.

His Majesty the Sultan became the ruler in January 2020 after Sultan Qaboos bin Said, modern Oman’s founding father, died at the age of 79.

Bin Alawi played a key role in maintaining the Sultanate’s neutrality and as a regional mediator. On August 17, he spoke on the phone with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to stress Oman’s support of “a comprehensive, just and lasting peace,” Oman’s foreign ministry said on Twitter.

It was the first public contact between Oman and Israel after the US brokered deal between the Jewish state and the UAE.

In October 2018, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held surprise talks with Sultan Qaboos in Muscat. Oman does not officially recognise the Jewish state but maintains good ties with both the US and Iran.