The Sultanate of Oman and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are bound by deeply rooted historical relations extending over several centuries, translated into cooperative partnerships across numerous fields.

As an extension of these venerable relations, the state visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the United Kingdom, at the invitation of His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Head of the Commonwealth, affirms the firmly established Omani-British friendship and the keenness of the leaderships of the two countries to continue strengthening it across various fields in a manner that secures further benefits and interests.

His Majesty has been keen to develop Oman’s relations with the countries of the world and to entrench the principles of its Renaissance, founded upon mutual respect, the establishment of the values of international peace and security, and the maximisation of common benefits.

In this context, His Majesty met King Charles III at Windsor Castle in the English county of Berkshire in July 2025, During the meeting emphasis was placed on ways to invest in these robust historical relations between the two friendly countries to realise mutual interests and future visions and meet the aspirations of the peoples of the two countries.

The award in 2021 by the late Queen Elizabeth II to His Majesty of the distinguished honour of the Order of the Knight Grand Cross further affirms the depth of these relations and the bonds uniting the two countries and their peoples.

In pursuit of elevating strategic partnerships, enhancing interests and opening broader horizons for cooperation, His Majesty has been keen to meet British Prime Ministers. The past years have likewise witnessed intensive meetings between senior officials of the two countries, aimed at expanding and creating new partnerships for bilateral cooperation, strengthening historical ties and broadening the partnership in the political, economic and cultural fields. Among these meetings was that of His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, with His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales, at Windsor Castle.

Since the two friendly countries signed the “Unshook Treaty” more than 200 years ago, relations have witnessed steady growth, crowned by the signing of the Joint Defence Agreement in February 2019 and the Comprehensive Agreement on Enduring Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation in May of the same year.

These reflect the keenness of the two countries to deepen and unify shared visions in service of their security, stability and the prosperity of their peoples, as well as to enhance military cooperation embodied in numerous aspects of close cooperation and joint bilateral exercises, the most recent of which was Exercise Swift Sword / 3 “Al Saif Al Sareea 3” held in October 2018.

The Comprehensive Agreement on Enduring Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation affirms the shared commitment of the two friendly countries to work together in various fields including the political, military, cultural, economic, investment and tourism fields.

In January 2022, Oman, represented by Oman Investment Authority (OIA), and the United Kingdom, represented by the UK Office for Investment (OfI), signed an investment partnership agreement in the capital, London, aimed at strengthening ties and increasing the volume of high-value investments in both countries.

The signing of the agreement came within the framework of a memorandum of understanding between the UK Office for Investment and Oman Investment Authority, in reinforcement of bilateral economic relations. The agreement targets investment in specific fields such as the clean energy sector and information technology.

Statistics issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) indicate that the trade balance between Oman and the United Kingdom recorded in 2025 a surplus in favour of Oman amounting to OMR 100million, with total trade between the two countries reaching OMR 385 million.

Statistics show that total Omani exports to the United Kingdom in 2025 reached approximately OMR 243 million, while the value of Omani imports from the United Kingdom reached approximately OMR 142 million.

Preliminary statistics indicate that total trade during the first seven months of 2026 reached OMR 388 million, with the volume of Omani exports to the United Kingdom reaching approximately OMR 139 million, while the volume of Omani imports from the United Kingdom reached approximately OMR 249 million.

The number of visitors arriving in the Oman from the United Kingdom rose from 93,700 visitors to 103,500 visitors in 2025. By the end of September 2026 there were 61,886 visitors.

Since its formation in 2010, the Oman-UK Joint Working Group, has been working to enhance cooperation and partnership, addressing numerous topics and thorny issues and working to find appropriate solutions for them.

The Group also addresses topics related to commerce and investment; the 18th round of the Group’s meetings was held in early September 2026 in Muscat. It discussed the broadening of the horizons of relations and benefiting from British expertise and experiences in the fields of developing education, vocational training and sports, and revitalising tourism movement and enhancing cultural exchange and participations between the two countries.

Badr Almantheri, Oman’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, says that the forthcoming State Visit of His Majesty to the United Kingdom represents an important milestone in the march of Omani-British relations, which are firmly established historical relations founded upon friendship, trust and mutual respect, and which have, over long decades, been able to evolve and keep pace with changes.

The Ambassador said in a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA) that this visit reflects the keenness of the leaderships of the two countries to build upon this legacy and to elevate relations to broader horizons of cooperation and partnership in service of the common interests of the two countries and their friendly peoples.

It will also constitute an important opportunity to enhance the various tracks of cooperation, foremost among them economy, investment, trade, renewable energy, technology and innovation, alongside education, culture, and defence and security cooperation, opening a new chapter in the march of Omani-British relations.

Dr Liane Saunders, the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, says that the State Visit to be paid by His Majesty to the United Kingdom constitutes a landmark moment in the enduring relationship between the two countries, stretching back nearly four centuries.

The Ambassador added in a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA) that this is the first state visit to the United Kingdom since 1982. She noted that last year marked the celebration of the 225th anniversary of the bilateral agreement of 1800, often referred to as the “Unshook Treaty,” which declared that the friendship between Britain and the Sultanate of Oman should remain “Unshook.”

She said: “At a time of global uncertainty, Oman’s strategic location, its role in regional diplomacy and its ambitious Vision 2040 programme make it an important partner for the United Kingdom across security, economic and diplomatic spheres.”

For Faisal bin Abdullah Al Rowas, Chairman Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), the Royal visit  opens important horizons for elevating Omani-British relations to a broader economic partnership, resting upon the firmly established relations and mutual interests uniting the two countries.

He said that the United Kingdom is the largest foreign direct investor in Oman. It is also an important trade partner, noting that developments in trade relations, including the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement between the GCC states and the United Kingdom, enhance the prospects of growth in trade and investment between the two countries.

He added that cooperation opportunities extend across key sectors, among them renewable energy, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, manufacturing and advanced industries, agricultural technologies and food security.

“These fields represent a promising space for expanding investments and exchanging expertise, and for benefiting from the potential the two countries possess, in support of diversifying the domains of economic cooperation and achieving added value for the private sector,” he said.

For Areej Mohsen Darwish, an Omani entrepreneur and investor in the United Kingdom, the visit of His Majesty to the United Kingdom constitutes an opportunity to reinforce the economic and investment dimension.

She stated that commercial and investment ties have existed since ancient times, and that the significance of such visits lies in imparting political and economic momentum to relations and opening wider horizons for companies to forge strategic partnerships.

She noted that the opportunity today lies in advancing toward greater cooperation in the sectors of the future economy and in linking the expertise of both countries within the framework of Oman Vision 2040, explaining that trust precedes the investment decision and that high-level visits transform political relations into effective economic channels.