Oman-Syria relations
Map indicating locations of Oman and Syria

Oman
Syria
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Syria in MuscatEmbassy of Oman in Damascus
Envoy
Ambassador Turki bin Mahmood al-BusaidyAmbassador Idris Mayya

Oman–Syria relations refer to the relationship between the Sultanate of Oman and the Syrian Arab Republic. Oman has an embassy in Damascus; while Syria has an embassy in Muscat. Both are members of the Arab League, and despite the ongoing civil war occurring in Syria, Oman has not closed its embassy in Syria and both countries maintain diplomatic relations, in sharp contrast to other Arab states of the Persian Gulf who have cut off diplomatic ties with Syria and closed their embassies.

Country comparison

Oman Oman Syria Syria
Population 4,520,471[1] 18,604,031[2]
Area 309,500 km2 (119,500 sq mi) 185,180  km2 (71,500 sq mi)
Population Density 15/km2 (38.8/sq mi) 118.3/km2 (306.4/sq mi)
Capital Muscat Damascus
Largest City Muscat – 1,720,000 (Metro) Damascus – 2,503,000[3]
Government Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy Unitary dominant-party semi-presidential republic
Current leader Sultan Haitham bin Tariq
Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham		 President Bashar al-Assad
Prime Minister Hussein Arnous
Official languages Arabic Arabic
Main religions 88.9% Islam (35.2% Ibadi, 47.2% Sunni, 6.5% Shia), 5.5% Hinduism, 3.6% Christianity 87% Islam, 10% Christianity, 3% Druzism
Ethnic groups Arabs, Baluchi, South Asians (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), and Africans 75% Arabs
10% Kurds
15% Others (including Turkomans, Assyrians, Circassians, Armenians and Jews)[4][5]
GDP (nominal) US$110.127 billion ($23,416 per capita) US$22,4 billion,[6] ($1,265 per capita)

History of relations

Syrian civil war

Following the outbreak of the currently ongoing Syrian civil war, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain were quick to declare their support for the Syrian opposition against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, setting out to isolate the Syrian government by cutting off diplomatic ties, closing down their embassies, expelling Syria from the Arab League and imposing heavy economic sanctions.[7] A notable exception in the policies of the Gulf states was Oman, who not only refused to close down their embassies and cut off diplomatic ties, but also refused to support the Syrian opposition, with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah stating that Oman's role in the conflict would strictly be constrained to humanitarian assistance in sharp contrast with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.[7]

In August 2015, Oman invited Syrian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to Muscat to meet with his Omani counterpart, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah.[7][8][9] In October of that same year, the Omani Foreign Minister traveled to Damascus, meeting with Assad himself to discuss Syria's ongoing civil war and defeating terrorism while assuring Oman's commitment to Syrian unity and sovereignty, with foreign minister Alawi saying that Oman "continues to exert every possible effort to help find a solution that would end the crisis in Syria".[10][11]

Oman's foreign minister, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah met with Assad and foreign minister Walid Muallem on 7 July 2019. Following the closed-door meeting, the Omani foreign ministry reported that Alawi had delivered a greeting from the Sultan of Oman to the Syrian President and talked about boosting efforts to "restore stability and security in the region”, as well as strengthening the Omani-Syrian relations.[12][13]

On 5 October 2020, Oman became the first Persian Gulf country to reinstate its ambassador in Syria.[14] In July 2022, a joint Syria-Oman business council was established with the aim of wider economic cooperation.[15][16]

In 2023, President Bashar al-Assad travelled to Oman for his first foreign visit since 2011.[17] President al-Assad also met Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, bilateral relations and cooperation were discussed.[18]

Economic ties

By 2021, Oman's share of Syrian exports was 0.72%, making it Syria's relaible export partner.[19] In 2021, Oman was one of the smaller import partners of Syria with a share of almost 0.2%.[19][20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Final Results of Census 2010" (PDF). National Center for Statistics & Information. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Population, total – Syrian Arab Republic". worldpopulationreview.com. World population review. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Damascus population 2022". World Population Review. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Syria: People and society". The World Factbook. CIA. 10 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Largest Ethnic Groups In Syria". WorldAtlas. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "GDP Syrian Arab Republic". worldbank.org. World Bank. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Madan, Aman (18 December 2017). "Opinion: Oman Set to Play Big Role in Post-War Syria". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Gladstone, Rick (6 August 2015). "Syrian Official's Visit to Oman May Signal a Diplomatic Opening". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  9. ↑ "Syrian FM in rare Oman visit amid heightened diplomacy". Reuters. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "Omani foreign minister meets Syria's Assad: state TV". Reuters. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "Oman's foreign minister meets Syria's Bashar al-Assad in Damascus". Al-Araby. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Omani foreign minister makes rare visit to Syria". Associated Press. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  13. ↑ "Alawi conveys His Majesty's greetings to Assad". Times of Oman. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  14. ↑ "Oman becomes first Gulf state to reinstate ambassador in Syria". Reuters. 5 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Bushra Dabin; Ruaa al-Jazaeri (31 July 2022). "Syrian-Omani Business Council formed to develop bilateral economic relations". SANA. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Syrian-Omani talks in Muscat to enhance relations of cooperation between the two countries". Syria Times.
  17. ↑ "Syria's Assad meets senior Arab lawmakers in Damascus". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  18. ↑ "President al-Assad meets Sultan Haitham bin Tarek of Oman, discussions deal with bilateral relations and cooperation". SANA. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  19. 1 2 "Foreign trade partners of Syria". The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  20. ↑ http://alwatan.sy/archives/353171
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