Oman’s new ruler Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said pledged to follow the non-interference foreign policy of the late Sultan Qaboos that made the kingdom an important regional broker.
In a speech broadcast on state television, he also promised to maintain the Gulf Arab state’s foreign policy which he said was built on peaceful coexistence and maintaining friendly ties with all nations.
“We will follow the path of the late sultan,” Haitham said in his first public speech after being sworn in as sultan.
He expressed support for “our country’s foreign policy of peaceful living among nations and peoples… and not interfering in the internal affairs of others, respecting nations’ sovereignty and international cooperation.”
He called for efforts to develop the relatively small oil producer, continuing the path of his predecessor Sultan Qaboos bin Said who died on Friday. Qaboos, who built modern Oman, had acted as a regional mediator.
Haitham bin Tariq was chosen by a ruling family council that convened on Saturday. It opened a sealed envelop in which the late Sultan Qaboos, who passed away late on Friday, had secretly written his recommendation in case the family could not agree, and opted to follow his “wise” guidance.
