Report of the Royal Mission to Oman and the United Arab Emirates

From 2 to 6 February 2022, Their Majesties the King and Queen paid an official visit to the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade, Sophie Wilmès. It should be noted that this was the Sovereigns' first trip outside the European Union since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oman

The first stage of the journey was to the Sultanate of Oman, at the invitation of H.M. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. This was the first time the new Sultan had hosted a European head of state in Oman since taking office. The Sovereigns, Deputy Prime Minister Wilmès and the Minister of Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten - also present during this official visit to the Sultanate of Oman - were welcomed at the Royal Palace of Muscat, where they were able to meet with Sultan ben Tariq before taking part in a session on energy (in particular green hydrogen), in the presence of a delegation of Omani and Belgian business leaders. This was followed by a visit to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. 

The Deputy Prime Minister then met with her counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the good relations between our two countries and discussed the various issues of importance in the Gulf Region, in particular the conflict in Yemen, with which Oman shares its western border. The issue of human rights was also addressed, with a focus on women's rights.

On Friday 3 February, the Belgian delegation went to Duqm to officially inaugurate the new port. This project is the result of an equal partnership between the Omani company Asyad and the Belgian consortium CAP (Consortium Antwerp Port). The port of Duqm has a strategic location in terms of maritime routes, close to both Asia and Africa. In a speech delivered to the Sovereigns, the Omani authorities and an audience of Belgian and Omani economic stakeholders, Deputy Prime Minister Wilmès emphasised the benefits of this project, in terms of both job creation - in both countries - and the sharing of knowledge and expertise. The Hyport green hydrogen production site is being developed nearby, also the result of a Belgian-Omani partnership; the site aims to produce and supply competitive green energy to international customers, notably via Belgian ports. This project goes hand-in-hand with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministers of Energy of the two countries on this subject in September 2021. The presence of Belgian operators in these initiatives testifies to the worldwide recognition of our companies' expertise in the maritime, port and renewable energy fields.

United Arab Emirates

The Belgian delegation arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday afternoon. The Deputy Prime Minister travelled to Dubai to meet with her counterpart, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Minister of State for International Cooperation, Ms Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy. 2021 marked 50 years of diplomatic relations between Belgium and the United Arab Emirates. The strengthening of our relations can also be seen in the recent agreements concluded between our two countries in the fields of justice and police. The Emirates are also Belgium's leading economic partner in the Middle East. The two ministers spent more than two hours reviewing a series of bilateral files, discussing major regional issues - Yemen, Iran, Syria, Sahel, the Middle East Peace Process - and taking stock of issues dear to Belgium, such as human rights. The Minister also strongly condemned the recent attacks on airport and energy facilities in the United Arab Emirates, which resulted in three civilian casualties. This discussion allowed the Deputy Prime Minister to congratulate her counterpart on the organisation of the World Expo 2020.

The Sovereigns, Deputy Prime Minister Wilmès, Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne and Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden, visited the World Expo the following day as part of "Belgian Day", which honoured our country with an official ceremony in the presence of the local authorities and a series of other festivities such as the re-enactment of the Ommegang procession on the Expo site. The delegation visited the Belgian pavilion - nicknamed the "Green Arch" -, which is dedicated to smart mobility, connected cities and innovation, as well as the United Arab Emirates pavilion. Deputy Prime Minister Wilmès also participated, along with the Sovereigns, in a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Sophie Wilmès took advantage of her presence on the site to visit other pavilions, namely those of South Korea, Australia, Pakistan and Indonesia.