His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik will begin a state visit to Britain on Monday, the first by an Omani sultan since 1982, as the two countries seek to expand investment, trade and defence cooperation, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported on Saturday.
British direct investment in Oman reached RO16.8 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2026, up from RO16.1 billion in 2025 and RO14.9 billion in 2024, according to National Centre for Statistics and Information figures cited by ONA.
Britain accounts for more than half of Oman’s accumulated foreign direct investment, UK Ambassador to Oman Liane Saunders told ONA.
Bilateral trade totalled RO387.9 million in the first seven months of 2026, exceeding the RO384.7 million recorded for the whole of 2025. Omani exports to Britain were RO139 million in the seven-month period, while imports reached RO248.9 million.
The visit is at the invitation of King Charles III. Saunders said it would focus on deepening economic and investment ties, modernising the defence relationship, expanding cooperation in culture, education and skills, and strengthening foreign policy coordination.
Oman’s ambassador to Britain, Badr bin Mohammed Al Mantheri, said the visit would give “additional momentum to mutual investment” and open partnerships in clean energy, green hydrogen, technology, industry, financial services and tourism.
The countries signed an investment partnership in London in January 2022 between the Oman Investment Authority and Britain’s Office for Investment. Saunders said British investment had continued to grow since then and that the recent conclusion of GCC-UK free trade agreement negotiations offered further scope to deepen trade.
About 3,000 Omani students study in Britain each year, Saunders said. British visitor arrivals in Oman rose to 103,500 in 2025 from 93,700 the previous year, and reached 61,886 in the first nine months of 2026, according to the statistics cited by ONA.
