Saturday 18 / April / 2026
Muscat: Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council received in his Office yesterday a delegation of the British House of Lords led by Lord Geoffrey James Dear, Deputy Speaker, who is currently visiting the Sultanate at the invitation of the State Council.
Dr. Al Mantheri welcomed the visiting delegation, expressing the hope that the visit will contribute to strengthening bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and developing cooperation between the two councils.
He pointed out that the Sultanate and the United Kingdom have close historical ties, which have become more firmly established during the modern Omani Renaissance under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
He added that the cooperation between the two countries has witnessed remarkable development in various economic, investment, tourism and other fields.
He also said that this is reflected in the number of Omani students studying at a number of higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, in addition to its distinction in economic field, adding that UK has a high level of investment and trade exchange with the Sultanate.
During the meeting, they reviewed means of developing bilateral cooperation between the Sultanate and the United Kingdom, particularly in the parliamentary fields, as well as exchanging views on a number of issues of mutual interest.
For his part, Lord Geoffrey James Dear, Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, highlighted the Omani-British strong relations, describing it as historic and growing and is witnessing steady development in all areas.
He expressed his country’s appreciation for the Sultanate’s efforts under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said for the stability of the region and the maintenance of international peace and security. He also praised the Sultanate’s overall development renaissance and expressed his aspiration to open new horizons for economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of investment to serve their common interests.
The meeting was attended by the Hon. Deputy Chairman of the State Council, the Hon. Secretary-General of the State Council and a number of honourable members of the Council.
Parliamentary Bilateralism
Meanwhile, a discussion session was held at the Council of Oman about “Parliamentary Bilateralism and Joint Action” in the presence of Hon. Suad bint Mohammed Al Lawatiya, Deputy Chairman of the State Council, the two Deputies of Majlis Al Shura, a number of Majlis Al Shura’s members and the Secretary General of Majlis A’Shura.
The session discussed the terms of reference and powers of the State Council and Majlis Al Shura, coordination between the two councils through joint meetings and sessions of their offices and committees.
The delegation of the British House of Lords toured the building of the Council of Oman during which they were briefed on its architectural design and modern techniques in the halls and facilities of the building.
The delegation also visited the National Museum and were briefed on the various archaeological artifacts contained in its halls.
The delegation includes Baroness Francis Gertrude, Baroness Igor Judge, Baroness Simone Jari Finn, Navnit Dholakia, and Deputy Chairman of the Omani- British Society Richard Muir.
Majlis Al Shura
Separately, Khalid bin Hilal Al Ma’wali, Chairman of Majlis A’Shura received at the Majlis headquarters yesterday a delegation from the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, headed by Lord Geoffrey James Dear, Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords and his accompanying delegation, currently visiting the Sultanate.
During the meeting, al- Ma’wali hailed the strong bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and the level of cooperation relations between the Majlis Al Shura and the British Parliament and means of developing them at the parliamentary level through exchanging visits and experiences that can be used to develop parliamentary work.
Al Ma’wali also briefed the lords delegation on Majlis Al Shura, its successive phases for more than three decades, pointing out to the development that the Majlis enjoyed through its legislative and oversight powers and competences.
The meeting was attended by Rashid bin Ahmed Al Shamsi, Deputy Chairman of the Majlis Al Shura, Eng. Mohamed bin Abubaker Al Ghassani, Deputy Chairman of the Majlis Al Shura and Sheikh Ali bin Nasser Al Mahrouqi, Secretary General of the Majlis.
