Oman, UAE seek to increase trade ties 

(MENAFN - Times of Oman) Deliberations of the Oman-UAE Supreme Joint Committee meetings concluded at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel yesterday, under the chair of Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud bin Ali Al Busaidi, minister of the Diwan of Royal Court from the Omani side and Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and presidential affairs minister from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) side.

Minutes of the committee meetings included scope of cooperation between the two countries in economic, investment and educational.

The committee also discussed ideas and mechanism of cooperation. It discussed ways of facilitating trade and the importance of increasing the volume of trade, which is currently estimated at RO800 million annually between the two countries.

The meetings touched on investment projects where government departments from both the countries took part for the first time in the committee's annual meetings and put forward their investment projects.

The committee has agreed for strategic partnership on investments involving the private sector from the two
countries.

Cooperation in electricity, water, waste water sectors and studying the usage of clean and renewable energy were also discussed.

The meetings were attended from the Omani side by Sayyid Saud bin Ibrahim bin Saud Al Busaidi, minister of interior; Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council; Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry; Dr Khamis bin Mubarak Al Alawi, minister of transport and communications; Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed Al Shabibi, minister of housing; Major-General Salim bin Musallam Qatan, assistant inspector-general of Police and Customs; Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, undersecretary of the Finance Ministry; Khalil bin Abdullah Al Khonji, chairman of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Qatabi, Sultanate's ambassador to the UAE.