Country Profile

Oman, located on the south-eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, is the only member of the GCC located outside the gulf. Leveraging its strategic location on the Strait of Hormuz, the government is ramping up infrastructure investment in line with the sultanate’s goal of establishing itself as a global logistics centre. Oman Vision 2020, the country’s long-term development plan, emphasizes the expansion of industry, greater private-sector participation in the economy and the further boosting of Omanisation rates across all sectors. Oman, with a population of 4.3m in 2015, has long been regarded as a bastion of peace and stability in the region, with the raft of economic, political and social reforms initiated by Sultan Qaboos since his accession in 1970 being instrumental in transforming the country into the modern state it is today. This chapter contains a viewpoint from Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said; and an interview with Shahin Mustafayev, Azerbaijani Minister of Economy and Industry.