The United Arab Emirates will celebrate on Wednesday the 50th National Day of Oman, highlighting the strong ties and strategic partnership between the two countries. The celebrations will take place under the slogan, "Oman is from us, and we are among them," and will witness a range of events and shows celebrating the golden jubilee and fiftieth anniversary of Oman's renaissance on Nov. 18). The events will include lighting key landmarks around the country with the Omani flag, as well as festive celebrations at the country's land ports. Omani visitors coming to the UAE will also be received with flowers and souvenirs. Oman's annual National Day coincides with the re-opening of land ports connecting the two countries after over eight months of suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ties between the two countries are witnessing rapid political, economic, social and cultural development, under the leadership of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman. Strengthening its ties with Oman is one of the UAE's key priorities, which was underscored in a previous statement by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who stressed, "Oman is from us, and we are among them. They are our siblings, and we have long-term mutual ties that we are proud of, which are being reinforced by our people daily." Also, the statement made by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, while presenting his condolences for the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said reflects the special nature of the historic relations between the two countries. "The relations between the UAE and Oman are and will always be strong, as our peoples have historic ties based on solid foundations of shared geographical location, mutual traditions, kinship relations and other factors, which have given our bilateral ties a special nature," he said. The two brotherly countries share social and cultural relations that extend deep into history. During the past decades, many prominent stations have directly contributed to their consolidation and their advancement, and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sultan Qaboos bin Said held a historic meeting in 1968. The momentum of these relations continued after the establishment of the UAE federation in 1971, when many cultural and educational agreements were signed between them, reinforced by the exchange of visits in various cultural and educational fields in order to benefit from experiences and develop areas of cooperation. The bilateral fraternal relations between the two countries became more coherent and firmly established under the wise leadership of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. This relationship is an example of the strong ties rooted in the conscience of the two countries and their common history, as well as the mutual visits between the two leaderships. The cultural and social relations between the two countries are intertwined and deep, reaching the level of family relations and the sharing of customs, costumes and the arts, as a result of shared history and geographical contact. — WAM
