Al Omania /Austria’s Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Dr. Margaret Schrambück expressed her great admiration for Oman’s 2040 vision and its major developmental temes, that reflect Oman government’s keenness to consolidate all possibilities in order to chart a bright future for Oman and its people.
In an exclusive interview with Oman News Agency and Oman TV, the Austrian Minister said that the main themes of Oman 2040's vision of "people and society", "economy and development", "governance and institutional performance" and "environmental sustainability" are a comprehensive roadmap for future prospects. Her Excellency indicated that Austria also has a future vision towards 2040, and its themes are closely aligned with the pillars of Oman's vision, especially in the themes of environmental sustainability.
On the bilateral relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Austria, Her Excellency said: There is a remarkable development in the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and they have witnessed a transitional phase with the reopening of the Austrian embassy in Muscat two years ago. We are now focusing on new projects in which the two partied can work together, especially in the economic fields. This step would contribute to raising the volume of trade exchange between the two countries. Within the aims of her visit to the Sultanate, the Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs of the Republic of Austria explained that the visit aimed to advance bilateral relations and cooperation between the two friendly countries towards broader horizons. Her Excellency indicated that she had discussed with the Omani side a number of topics in areas of common interest such as renewable energy and green hydrogen.
In this regard, Her Excellency added: "The exceptional circumstances that the world has witnessed during the past two years due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic have not affected the desire of both sides to develop bilateral cooperation. The two countries can cooperate in many promising sectors; especially that Austria needs green energy and looks for new resources and new partners. Thus, we agreed with the Omani side on the possibility of drafting a memorandum of understanding between the two friendly countries in this field.
With Regard to the National Program for the Digital Economy, which was approved by the Council of Ministers last October, the Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs of the Republic of Austria said: “I was very pleased that the Omani government gives the digital economy the highest priority and takes advantage of digital technologies to build a prosperous digital economy through this program. It is the main key to economic prosperity and we look forward to cooperating with the Sultanate of Oman in the field of digital economy in order to adopt best practical practices in this aspect.”
She added that during her visit, an Austrian experience was presented on sharpening students' skills from school to university level and providing them with the necessary skills to engage in the labor market. She indicated that her country relies on the bilateral education system, through which students study specialized subjects and are trained in private sector companies at the same time. The Austrian minister also addressed the issue of artificial intelligence, explaining that her country had adopted an artificial intelligence strategy. Many institutions and companies participated in formulating this strategy and it is currently in the process of implementation.
Her Excellency noted that she briefed the Omani side on this strategy and it expressed its desire to benefit from it. Her Excellency stressed that it was agreed between the two sides on the importance of formulating a specific mechanism to support ways of developing bilateral relations through the forming specialized working teams and intensification of mutual visits and contacts between the countries.
It is noteworthy that the volume of trade exchange between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Austria amounted to about 75 million Omani Riyals. In addition, thirty-one Austrian companies have investments in the Sultanate of Oman in many fields.