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Haithan Ben Tarek was sworn in as the new Sultan of Oman this Saturday, January 11 following the death of his cousin. REUTERS / Sultan Al Hasani

The new sultan of Oman, Haitham ben Tarek, has promised to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor and cousin, Qabous, the founding father of modern Oman, and should embark on his country in a new phase of its development, according to analysts.

The new sovereign replaced Sultan Qaboos who died at 79 years after having ruled the sultanate for 50 years, passing it from the status of a backward and isolated country to that of a modern, neutral and respected nation in the Gulf and on the international scene.

Haitham ben Tarek, 65, is a sports enthusiast, who served as Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for political affairs, before becoming Minister of Heritage and Culture in the mid-1990s.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he had the opportunity to represent his country in international conferences but remains relatively little known internationally. He was also the chief executive of the Oman Football Federation in the early 1980s.

The promise to follow the path set by Qabous

Large in size, with a beard bleached by the years, the new sultan played a key role with several foreign multinationals and was the architect of the realization of several large projects, in particular in the field of energy and tourism . According to his biographers, he supervised, as Minister of Heritage and Culture, the restoration of many historical monuments and the publication of an Omanian encyclopedia, a reference work on the sultanate.

In his first speech as sultan, Haitham ben Tarek promised to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, particularly in matters of foreign policy. " We will follow the path laid out by the deceased sultan ," said Haitham ben Tarek.

He undertook to pursue a " foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence between nations (...) and on non-interference in the internal affairs of others, while respecting the sovereignty of nations and international cooperation ". He added that his country would continue " as under the reign of Sultan Qaboos to promote peaceful solutions " to regional and global crises.

(with AFP)