MUSCAT -- A Belgian economic mission led over by Princess Astrid of Belgium (pictured), Representative of the Belgian King, will be visiting Oman on March 19 and 20. More than 200 Belgians, representing 126 companies, along with 14 journalists will be visiting Oman as part of the mission. 30 per cent of the participating companies are SMEs, willing to take the first steps in understanding the market and creating long-term partnerships with Omani counterparts. Economic missions are organised jointly by the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency and the three regional institutions for foreign trade and investment: Flanders Investment and Trade, Wallonia Trade and Investment and Brussels Invest and Export. The Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs in Brussels and the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh handle the political and protocol aspects of the programme.
Didier Reynders, Federal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs will also take part in the mission. The programme will begin with the Omani-Belgian Business Forum organised in collaboration with the Oman Chamber of Commerce and will be attended by Dr Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry. The opening ceremony, which will take place at the Grand Hyatt Muscat, will then be followed by sectorial roundtables on healthcare and energy and environment. One of the main focuses of the programme in Oman will be energy and energy efficiency. In this respect, Princess Astrid, accompanied by Belgian executives, will visit the PDO headquarters. Princess Astrid will conclude the afternoon with a visit of the Royal Opera House.
On the second day, Princess Astrid and Minister Reynders, accompanied by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, and Yahya bin Saeed Abdullah al Jabry, Chairman of the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, will visit Duqm. The Port of Duqm Company (PDC) is a 50/50 joint venture between the Consortium Antwerp Port (CAP) and the government of Oman. The Port of Antwerp is a big player in the European market with a proven international track record of expertise and is the number 2 Petrochemical port in the world. On the occasion of the visit of Princess Astrid of Belgium, the first stone of its industrial zone will be laid. The fact that the infrastructure of the future industrial zone in Duqm will be a 50/50 investment was an essential part of the negotiations of the Duqm concessions in 2011.
"Our relation with Oman has deep roots. We share many interests and we are working together every day in many fields, and the Port of Duqm is a fine example of this fruitful partnership. We hope this mission to Oman, will help both sides to build further the solid relationship between two countries and boost the social and economic opportunities", Marc Vinck, Ambassador of Belgium, said.
© Oman Daily Observer 2014
