MUSCAT: Transport, logistics, food security, water management, energy and infrastructure development are some of the areas where there is great potential for co-operation between Oman and the Netherlands, says the country’s ambassador.
Education, high-tech safety and security solutions are other potential areas, Barbara Joziasse, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, told the Times of Oman in an interview.
The volume of trade between the two countries have seen ‘remarkable’ growth over the past years, but Joziasse believes that the Netherlands still has a lot to offer in terms of expertise and innovative approach to help maintain ‘sustainable’ and ‘mutually beneficial’ relations with Oman.
“We believe that growth of bilateral trade can by far outpace GDP growth of our countries,” she said, adding that ‘true partnership’ is what Dutch companies believe in. According to her, chemical products top the list of the Netherlands’s imports from Oman, while Dutch companies have been exporting machinery and products in the areas of transport, storage, communications, manufacturing, construction and real estate to Oman.
The embassy’s main areas of focus include maritime, land, transport and logistics development, Joziasse said.
“A joint venture has been set up between the Omani government and the Port of Rotterdam Authority to develop a large-scale industrial port in Sohar,” she said, adding, “Most Dutch business investment is in the oil industry, notably in Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) projects.”
Dutch construction and transport companies and dredging firms are also active in Oman such as in the port of Duqm project, new Muscat and Salalah airport projects and in statistics and logistics training, added the ambassador.
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