Oman not ready for Gulf Union

Muscat: Oman is not yet ready for the Gulf Union but would not come in the way of its formation, according to Oman’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yousuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah.

Interacting with a young audience at the open dialogue organised by the National Youth Committee at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Salalah, the Omani minister revealed that the Sultanate opted out of the proposed union for the sake of its own identity. “We didn’t want to lose our own identity [Sultanate of Oman] for the sake of the Gulf Union,” he said.

“We studied the proposal of Gulf Union and felt that currently it cannot be achieved,” he said in reply to a question from the audience. The minister, however, stressed that Oman will not be a hurdle for the Gulf Union or for the unified GCC currency. Bin Alawi also stressed that Oman had very cordial relations with the rest of the GCC member states.

When asked about the $10 billion (Dh36.71 billion) GCC aid for Oman, the senior Omani minister said that the aid was for joint GCC ventures like railways and electricity. “The aid is not to help develop Oman’s economy,” he reiterated during the open dialogue that was streamed live on the internet. He also said that Oman had not asked for the aid.

Bin Alawi pointed out that Oman too extends aid to the other nations but “does not talk about it in the media”. He also said that the government was giving top priority to youth in the country. “The government offers job security and stability to the youth,” he said, adding that various projects in the country were launched with an aim to generate employment for young Omanis.

The minister called on Omani youth to focus on achieving better education and knowledge for a better future.