Sir Keir Starmer has discussed Oman’s defence and economy with the country’s sultan amid fears of a regional war in the Middle East.
After greeting Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on the red carpet in Downing Street, the Prime Minister pledged the UK would “strengthen even more” a 400-year-old friendship with Oman.
The bilateral talks hosted at Number 10 follow months of conflict in neighbouring Yemen, where Houthi rebels resumed attacks on Red Sea container ships on Sunday after a two-week pause.
Tensions are also high in northern parts of the region, after Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday last week, followed by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday.
Opening the talks, Sir Keir said: “Thank you so much for making time for this visit so early into our Government – we only formed a Government four weeks or so ago.
“And so, to be able to host you here is really a privilege for me.
“We have a long, shared history between our countries – 400 years of friendship, very strong relations and I want to ensure that we strengthen even more.”
The sultan, who arrived in Downing Street in a silver Rolls-Royce, said he was “delighted” to be in London and claimed good relations between the UK and Oman will last “until the end of time”.
The Prime Minister replied: “So 400 years is nothing.”
Sir Keir added: “The strength of the relationship is across so many broad areas, you know, whether that’s your economic vision which is really important – 2040.”
Oman Vision 2040 is the country’s 19-year economic and social action plan between between 2021 and 2040.
Among the “pillars” which drive the strategy are ambitions for “an environment with sustainable components”, “a competitive economy” and “a society of creative individuals”, among others, according to the project’s website.
Elsewhere on the world stage, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is on a three-day visit to the US and Canada in a bid to woo investors.
Speaking in New York on Monday, Ms Reeves told Bloomberg the “US doesn’t have a greater friend than Great Britain” and added: “Of course we want to build on that and make it easier for Great British businesses to export to the United States, and to make it easier for great American businesses to export to the United Kingdom, so we want to strengthen and deepen those trade ties.”
In his meeting with the Sultan of Oman, Sir Keir continued: “Defence and security, obviously, are very important to us, but also the role that you play in the region is actually important.”
Sultan Haitham replied: “Indeed, we would like to continue on those lines and we would like to assure you that the relations will continue to be strong.”
After the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The leaders discussed the broad areas of co-operation between their two countries, including defence, security and trade, which they both looked forward to strengthening.
“Turning to the situation in the Middle East, the Prime Minister emphasised the clear and urgent need for de-escalation and urged all parties in the region to exercise restraint.
“On Gaza, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for a ceasefire, the return of hostages and an immediate increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching civilians. Both agreed on the need for a two-state solution through a peace process.”
A two-state solution proposes two sovereign Palestinian and Israeli states, in a bid to resolve conflicts.
The spokesperson added: “They looked forward to working closely together in the future.”
