Capital view: Oman Council in Muscat, the country's capital. — Photo courtesy Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman

To mark Oman's 44th National Day, Viet Nam News presents an article written by Ambassador to Viet Nam Sheikh Sultan Saif Hilal Al-Mahruqi.

Every year the Sultanate of Oman celebrates the Blessed Renaissance Day, or National Day, which His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said started on July 23, 1970.

After the modern Renaissance started under the leadership of His Majesty, Oman has assumed a prominent position as a safe country, enjoyed stable political and economical statuses, provided a favourable environment for business and become a model for economic development. Oman continues to develop its economy and society.

The Sultanate's policies and political stances are inspired by a deep awareness of history, and a belief in the need to establish the best possible climate for national development. It succeeds in building bridges of trust and credibility, which contribute to its candid approach to international events.

Oman has shown interest in sharing culture and knowledge with others by establishing a number of academic chairs that carry the name of Sultan Qaboos, for the study of Arab and Islamic civilisation and to promote greater understanding between cultures.

There are chairs at sixteen of the world's leading universities, including Harvard and Georgetown in the US, Cambridge in the UK, Melbourne, Utrecht in the Netherlands, Beijing, Tokyo and Lahore in Pakistan, as well as several universities in Gulf, Arab and Islamic countries.

Oman and Viet Nam started diplomatic relations in 1992, and then Oman opened an embassy in Ha Noi in 2010. The two countries have signed many agreements for promoting co-ordination and created a Joint Committee for Bilateral Economic Co-operation. The committee's first meeting was held in Ha Noi in 2011, the second in Muscat in 2014. Oman and Viet Nam also held their first consultative political meeting in Oman in April 2014.

Oman and Viet Nam have made great efforts to enhance cooperation on trade, investment, oil and gas, real estate, agriculture, fisheries, culture, tourism and labour.

Omani investors see Viet Nam as a big market with a huge population that enjoys the strategic geographic position in a very dynamic region.

Oman imports a wide range of products from Viet Nam, including coffee, textiles, papers, vegetables, computers, electronics, handicrafts, wood products and ceramics. Viet Nam imports marble, auto parts and pharmaceutical materials from Oman. Regarding scientific and cultural cooperation, Oman has allocated four Arabic courses for Vietnamese students in the College of Sultan Qaboos and two scholarships for Vietnamese students.

We deeply believe our two friendly countries have a great opportunity to enhance cooperation across all fields. — VNS