<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al-Busaid, will make a state visit to Spain next week, the first by a foreign head of state to the country in two and a half years. This visit, originally scheduled for May, was suspended at the last minute due to the death of his wife Ahad bint Abdullah Al-Busaidiyah's mother.</strong></h4> According to Moncloa Palace, the visit, which will begin this Monday, November 3, and conclude on Wednesday, "is taking place within the framework of the friendly and cooperative relations between both countries and the work they are doing to further strengthen bilateral relations in all areas." According to the planned program, the King and Queen will officially receive the Sultan at the Royal Palace of Madrid on Tuesday morning. At midday, King Felipe will meet with Haitham bin Tariq at the Zarzuela Palace, followed by a luncheon also attended by Queen Letizia. In the evening, a gala dinner will be held in honor of the Sultan at the Royal Palace of Madrid. On Wednesday, the King and the Sultan of Oman will preside over a business meeting organized by the CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations) at the Royal Palace of El Pardo. Finally, Haitham bin Tariq will be received by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, on November 5th at 11:00 a.m. Haitham bin Tariq al Said ascended to the throne of Oman in 2020, following the death of his predecessor, Qaboos bin Said, who ruled Oman for almost 50 years and visited Spain on several occasions, mostly privately. Qaboos received King Felipe VI in 1985, when, still Prince of Asturias, he traveled to Oman to represent Spain on the fifteenth anniversary of the Sultan's accession to power. Later, as King, Felipe VI traveled to Oman on January 13 and 14, 2020, to attend the funeral of Qaboos bin Said. The Monarch held a telephone conversation with Haitham bin Tariq on October 8, 2023. This is the first state visit by a foreign head of state to Spain since May 3, 2023, when the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, visited. No other international leader has traveled to Spain under the protocol of a state visit since then. Spain and the Sultanate of Oman established diplomatic relations in 1972. The Spanish Embassy in Muscat opened in 2004, and in 2006, Oman appointed its first ambassador to Spain. On April 30, King Felipe VI received the Letters of Credence from the new Omani ambassador, Thamir Faiz Khalfan Al Alawi, at the Royal Palace in Madrid. His predecessor, Omar al-Kathiri, left the Embassy in Madrid exactly one year ago to take up his country's post as head of the Mission to the United Nations in New York. <h5><strong>Decorations</strong></h5> On the occasion of this visit, the Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, awarded the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic to the Sultan of Oman last Tuesday. The government also awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic to a total of eight ministers and members of the Omani government: the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs, Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said; the Minister of the Royal Office, Sultan Mohammed Al Nomani; the Minister of the Royal Court Council, Sayyid Khalid Hilal Al Busaidy; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi; the Minister of Trade, Qais Mohammed Al Yousef; the Minister of Energy and Minerals, Salim Nasser Al Aufi; the Head of the Sultan's Private Office, Hamed Said Al Oufi; and the Chairman of the Omani Investment Authority, Abdulsalam Mohammed Al Murshidi. Finally, the government awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit to the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman in Madrid, Thamir Faiz Al Alawi; the Commander of the Royal Guard, Salim Ali Al Hosni; and the Chief of Royal Protocol, Mohammed Hamed Al Sarmi. and to the head of the Medical Unit of the Royal Court of the Sultanate of Oman, Saif Zahir Al Salmi.
