Muscat – Omani diplomacy is not just an instrument of foreign policy but is woven into the fabric of the sultanate’s culture and identity, said H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, in a speech in Muscat on Friday.

“The key ingredient in diplomacy is trust,” he said. “If we allow the spirit of respect to inform policymaking, our partners will reciprocate.”

The sultanate is “a nation that values tradition while embracing progress, whose people openly share their culture, their ideas and their dreams with the world,” the minister said in a speech on Oman’s Foreign Policy delivered at the opening session of the Young Presidents’ Organization Inspire MENA Signature Retreat at the National Museum.

Under the theme ‘Diplomacy and Hospitality: Neutrality and Influence’, the minister summarised the principles of the sultanate’s foreign policy as openness, neutrality and mutual respect.

Addressing an international delegation of young executives, H E Sayyid Badr referred to the museum’s Aflaj Gallery, explaining how ancient mountain communities in Oman inspired its foreign policy.

H E Sayyid Badr said these communities employed “conversation, reciprocity and pragmatism to reach agreements on water division” to provide “the framework for efficient water use, agricultural diversity and regional peace”.

He called for the wider adoption of dialogue, neutrality and respect in international relations, using the examples of tackling climate change and resolving conflicts to illustrate his point.

“There is far more uniting us than dividing us,” he said. “We have a shared responsibility to solve [today’s] challenges. But, more importantly, we have a shared interest in doing so.”

Highlighting the importance of talking and listening to everyone, especially those whose perspectives differ from our own, he said, “Refusal to engage constructively exacerbates hostility, deepens distrust and prevents peace.”

The minister explained that this belief is demonstrated in Oman’s firm stance on Palestine, supporting peace processes in which all major groups are represented.

H E Sayyid Badr said he was concerned that some states reject inclusive dialogue, adding, “condemnation of Hamas blinds them to the group’s legitimate demands” such as Palestinian statehood and self-determination.

“Foreign plans for the future governance of Palestine are often rooted in antagonism. This makes them unsustainable and unjust by denying the Palestinians the right to choose their own leaders,” he added.

Noting the power of the young leaders in his audience to shape the future, he encouraged them “to prioritise common goals and trust pragmatically but boldly” in all their pursuits.