Oman

01 June 2023; MEMO: The Sultan of Oman Haitham Bin Tarik yesterday presided over the launch ceremony for a new city bearing his name, which is set to be the sultanate's first smart city.

During the event held at Al-Baraka Palace, themed "Treasure the Future", the sultan was briefed about the project of the planned Sultan Haitham City. A presentation also showcased a model of the city, which will be developed in the wilayat of Seeb, several kilometres northwest of Muscat.

26 May 2023; MEMO: An Iranian-Belgian prisoner swap agreement had been reached under the auspices of the Sultanate of Oman, the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

06 Apr 2023; MEMO: An Omani IT professional has developed an indigenous social media platform modelled on Twitter, called Sufred.

04 Apr 2023; MEMO: The ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria and Iraq held a meeting in the Gulf country of Oman on Tuesday, according to Iraqi Ambassador, Qais Saad Al-Amiri, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The diplomats exchanged views about regional affairs during the meeting hosted by Al-Amiri "in an atmosphere of optimism and familiarity among the attendees," the Iraqi Embassy in Muscat tweeted.

28 Mar 2023; MEMO: The number of divorces in the Sultanate of Oman is on the rise, an official at the Office of the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate has revealed. Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Nasser Al-Sawafi pointed out that a majority of divorces happen for "trivial reasons".

21 Mar 2023; MEMO: President of the Civil Aviation Authority in the Sultanate of Oman, Naif Al-Abri, said the Sultanate will only allow Israeli flights to use its airspace but will not allow them to land on Omani territory.

Speaking to the local Atheer online newspaper on Monday, Al-Abri said the Civil Aviation Authority is a technical institution and is committed to international conventions, including the Chicago Treaty signed in 1944.

31 Jan 2023; MEMO: Turkiye signed a natural gas purchase agreement with Oman to buy an annual 1.4 billion cubic metres of gas for 10 years, Turkish Energy Minister, Fatih Donmez said, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Minister Donmez said that a delegation from Turkish state energy company, BOTAS, was in Oman for the agreement.

"We will purchase 1.4 billion cubic metres of gas annually and our agreement will be valid for 10 years," Fatih Donmez added.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: Oman is planning to build the region's first space rocket launch centre this year, reports The National. The Etlaq Space Launch Complex will be based in the port town of Duqm, with the three-year construction project overseen by the Sultanate's National Aerospace Services Company (Nascom).

The space rocket launch platform will be used to promote scientific research and to promote international collaboration in the space sector.

30 Dec 2022; MEMO: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Badr Bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, has welcomed the parliament's vote in favour of amending Article 1 of the Royal Decree to further expand banning relations with the occupation state of Israel.

He described the vote as "an embodiment of the aspirations of the Omani people and other regional countries to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause, in accordance with international standards and the Arab Peace Initiative."

27 Dec 2022; MEMO: The Consultative Assembly in the Sultanate of Oman on Monday referred a bill amending Article 1 of the Law of Boycotting Israel to the Legislative and Legal Committee to complete the procedures.