Lukashenko expects Sohar Port and Freezone to become reliable starting point for co-operation with Oman
President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko expects that the Sohar Port and Freezone will become a reliable starting point for Belarus-Oman co-operation – as stated in a note he left after visiting these sites in the north of Oman, BelTA reports
“I’ve learnt with interest about the infrastructure and facilities of the Sohar deep-sea port and Freezone. These facilities are the true jewels of Oman, the Northern Al-Batinah Governorate and the new North-South route,” the Head of State noted. “Logistical and manufacturing capabilities make the Sohar Port and Freezone important tools for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and prosperity of your country, implemented by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said as part of the Oman Vision 2040 programme.”
“Just as Al Duqm has taken Oman’s space programme to new heights, I am confident that the Sohar Port and Freezone will become a reliable starting point for Belarus-Oman co-operation,” the note on behalf of Aleksandr Lukashenko reads.
The Head of State was given a detailed tour of the territory of the Sohar Port and Freezone and was told about the peculiarities of work and enterprises located there, as well as logistical advantages and infrastructure.
The discussion focused on the prospects of using local opportunities in the development of Belarusian-Omani co-operation, including the supply and re-export of Belarusian products and the establishment of joint ventures. On the spot, Aleksandr Lukashenko checked the positions with the members of the Belarusian delegation and gave a number of practical instructions.
The President visited a large facility that produces polymer products. It is owned by a major Omani company that operates in the fields of oil and gas exploration and production, refining, petrochemicals, trade, alternative energy, power generation, and infrastructure.
The day before, Aleksandr Lukashenko told reporters about the proposal of Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said to create a hub of Belarusian goods in the country.
“It is very important for us to define a point: a port, or maybe we will look at something else. And there we will use our technologies, which are needed in Oman. That’s why, we will use Belarusian technologies to set up JVs here and move west, east, north from here, from the Indian Ocean, selling our goods,” the Belarusian leader noted. “The Sultan made a very good proposal to create a hub here: a centre for Belarusian goods. Yesterday I honestly told him that we have learnt to produce a lot of things. We haven’t learnt how to trade very well yet. But they have been able to trade since ancient times, and they promised to help us in this respect.”
In an interview with journalists, Belarus’ Industry Minister Aleksandr Yefimov said that Belarus expects to use the Sohar Port and Freezone for joint projects with Oman, “The goal of the visit to the port and free trade zone is to select a site for our joint ventures and further implementation of the project to form a hub of Belarusian industrial goods in the Sultanate of Oman in order to promote our goods in the third country market.”
He noted that in terms of logistics, the port is in a very good position. “That’s how it was in the past, and that’s how it is today. Therefore, taking into account the good logistical position of this port, our interests are linked to the fact that our industrial hub should be formed in this port. We are mainly considering Sohar Freezone sites in order to locate future joint ventures,” Mr. Yefimov noted.
According to the Industry Minister, the list of goods that can be produced on the territory of Oman is quite wide. “This also applies to the domestic market. They need agricultural products, tractors, everything related to them: trailed, mounted, municipal and road construction equipment,” he said. “And, of course, goods that can be redirected to the markets of third countries have great potential. In this regard, the list is much broader and includes quarry and cargo equipment, as well as everything related to logistics infrastructure. We are ready to offer this list of technologies and goods to our Omani partners for implementation on their territory.”
The Sohar Port was built in 2002 and is located southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, on the Gulf of Oman. It handles more than 1 million tonnes of sea cargo per week and about 3,500 vessels per year.
The Sohar Freezone was established in 2010 next to the port. The deep-water port and the adjacent free trade zone are located in the administrative centre of the Al Batinah North Governorate in Oman, halfway between the cities of Dubai (UAE) and Muscat (Oman). It occupies an area of 45 square kilometres. The Sohar Freezone is one of four special economic and free zones in Oman, alongside Salalah, Al Mazunah (on the border with Yemen), and the city of Duqm. The port and the free economic zone are managed by Sohar International Development, a joint venture between the Government of Oman, the Port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) and SKIL Infrastructure, an Indian company.
