The UK and Oman have signed a new Joint Defence Agreement.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has travelled to Oman to sign the agreement, alongside their Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, Badr Bin Saud Bin Harib Al Busaidi.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
“It is a pleasure to sign this agreement, bringing us even closer to one of our most important partners. This is an historic landmark moment between our two nations and is a significant reinforcement of our mutual security.
Gulf security is our security, and it is crucial that we expand our horizons and become a truly global Britain after we leave the European Union.”
The Ministry of Defence say that the JDA follows the culmination of Exercise Saif Sareea 3, which was held in Oman during October and November 2018.
“It was the largest exercise by the UK’s military since Saif Sareea 2, 17 years previously, with 5,500 troops travelling to Oman to display their land, air and sea capabilities. The JDA provides a launch pad to deepen defence co-operation, with both nations working together to develop capabilities and promote regional stability.
The UK and Oman have a long-standing and historic relationship, dating back more than 200 years. More recently, the British Joint Logistics Support Base in Duqm opened last year and the Defence Secretary announced during his visit to Saif Sareea 3 that a new joint military training area will be established in the country this year.
The UK is committed to the development of Duqm Port and this is part of the UK’s defence commitment to the region to ensure that our operations are agile. Additionally the new Omani-British Joint Training Area will ensure the UK is building a world-class military force alongside Omani counterparts, building on our joint learning from Saif Sareea 3.”
The Agreement will ensure that these facilities are available for use long into the future, allowing the UK to maintain a presence in the Region. This includes a new Naval Support Facility in Bahrain and our ongoing cooperation at Al Udeid in Qatar.
Good news. Omanis are kind, generous and naturally seek compromise and consensus. Just the kind of friends we should have.
We should buy back all of Oman’s challenger 2 tanks and black night them for the British Army and we might get 250- 280 active!
Great. So we’re now protecting third world despots again from the wrath of their oppressed citizenry thanks to the National self inflicted wound that is Brexit.
We are losing economic, political and diplomatic power practically daily. One humiliation after another. The latest is the international court ruling that we need to give the Chagos Islands back. That splitting it off from Mauritius in the 1960s was illegal. There goes Diego Garcia.
Iqbal, how exactly does this relate to Brexit when it’s an ongoing dispute over 50 years? This is basically “advice” and has no jurisdiction to compel the UK Government to do anything, which it won’t because the islands are a strategic asset.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about which dictators Britain chooses to support and which it doesn’t, but again voting for Brexit has precisely zero relation to Brexit.
The ICJ ruling is consultary, not binding. US would never allow it to be enforced.
Echoing the territorial claims in the South China Sea? The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ruled against China, but they also chose to ignore it. FYI: The US by the way is not a member of UNCLOS.
Plus the UK and US both have vetoes at the general assembly, where this would potentially be enforced. If some deal could be struck where everyone gets what they want the I’m all for it.
Or is that just the security Council??
“Great. So we’re now protecting third world despots again from the wrath of their oppressed citizenry thanks to the National self inflicted wound that is Brexit.” Iqbal Britain has had interests in Oman since the 1970’s. They are an ally. Brexit has nothing to do with it. “We are losing economic, political and diplomatic power practically daily.” If an official EU Foreign secretary comes about representing all the EU we certainly will! That’s what sovereignty is all about. You make your own rules and elect those who make them yourselves. “One humiliation after another.” On Brexit? Quite. Who is to… Read more »
In the neighbourhood Oman is in they’re about the best. Plus they’ve been friends and allies for a lot longer than many european states.
A stupid bastard like you should rather shut up, then talk about an issue with little understanding
Saif Sareea 2 had no less than 30 000 UK troops involved, we’d have a lot of trouble mustering that many today. How our armed forces have shrunk….
I always thought that we had agreements with Oman, I remember going out there in the 80s as a liaison officer for the Sultan of Oman’s Land forces. Although we were working for a UK company we were all ex-military personnel we were alongside the Omanis in uniform but a blue shirt rather than Khaki.
Possibly it was a mission impossible scenario, if you take this on and get caught we do not know you.
We do. And have. Brexit as the poster above suggested is nothing to do with it. He’s just been taken in by Gav’s grandstanding!
Its good news as uk and oman have historical relation and it should be no strengthen more as threats in the region is widen am omani and i think our ties should be beyond military agreement and to let both nations benefits from this long and historical relations
Mauritius does not give a crap about the islanders and the territory was only put with Mauritius by the British for admin reasons. All Mauritius is interested in is the fishing rights so the last part of the Indian Ocean can be raped. Keep the islands British and a marine sanctuary and let the islanders return. Diego Garcia can be just like Guam. Unless optimism prime and the transformers really are there.
There are lots of decrepit countries around where you can’t get a clean glass of water or run the refrigerator for more than a few hours per day. Oman is not one of those. Since when does every nation have to conform to certain standards of political organization? I thought we just went though some nonsense about that.