Slovak made Rolls-Royce-among-paramotors will soon cross the skies of Oman 17.10.2017, Muscat – The Deputy Prime Minister for Investment and Informatization Peter Pellegrini led the first-ever Slovak official visit to the Sultanate of Oman, having been accompanied by leading innovative enterprises and strong players from petrochemical, health and food industries.Comparably to the other countries on the Arabian peninsula, the economy of Oman is vastly dependent on the production of fossil fuels. The growing awareness of unsustainable economic outlook necessitates rapid development of the new sectors of the economy. Sultan Qaboos bin Said personally promotes cultural and scientific growth of the Sultanate. Thanks to its favorable geographic position, Oman also aspires to establish its position as a regionally and globally important maritime logistics hub. Furthermore, the Sultanate is becoming ever more sought-after holiday destination. Swift economic growth of Oman provides plentiful cooperation opportunities for Slovak companies and universities, token of which was the official visit of the Omani Princess Mona bin Fahad al Said to the Slovak Republic in May 2017.From 14 to 17 October 2017 the Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini accompanied by the representatives of 12 companies, 3 universities and Slovak National Theatre visited the Omani capital Muscat and the special development zone Al Duqm. The visit was co-organized by the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) and the Office of the Honorary Consul of Oman in Slovakia Oskar Világi. The entrepreneurs partook in the First Omani-Slovak Business Forum in the premises of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry and absolved several rounds of business talks with significant Omani entrepreneurs. The Omani counterparts were particularly interested in the Slovak know-how in healthcare development, construction of specialized clinics and in unique antidote health diagnostics procedure based on clone-technology. An innovative drilling technology called “e-fusion” developed by the Technical University of Košice and a technology disposing of paraffins, a by-product of oil drilling, were two main Slovak technological solutions for the oil industry presented to the Omani investors. In addition, the Omani companies were interested in the Slovak experience in the recycling of plastic bottles and production of dairy products. Slovak manufacturer of paramotors demonstrated, with a flight over the nearby beach, the technological advancement of his product, which is patented for its unique dynamic torque compensation technology.The Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and the Minister of Transport Árpád Érsek engaged in negotiations with the Deputy Chair of the Ministerial Council, the Minister of Transport and Communications and with the Minister of Tourism. Furthermore, they opened the new premises of the Slovak Honorary Consulate in Oman together with the Slovak Honorary Consul Mohammed Al Harthy, they visited the spectacular Royal Opera House and discussed with the representatives of the Sultan Qaboos University. The discussion was centered on the R&D cooperation possibilities between the Omani academics and the leading Slovak R&D departments at the Comenius University, Slovak University of Technology, Technical University of Košice and Slovak Academy of Sciences. The representatives of the Slovak National Theatre negotiated a perspective opera performance in the Royal Opera House in Muscat.During the visit, Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) succeeded to establish a partnership with its counterpart, the Omani foreign trade and investment promoting agency Itharaa. SARIO Agency held a presentation on the investment possibilities in Slovakia in the premises to the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and it used this opportunity for an official invitation of the Omani representatives to Slovakia. The official visit is expected to happen before the end of this year. A successful course of the recent visit was facilitated only by the close cooperation of the Honorary Consulates of Slovakia and Oman, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and SARIO Agency.First official visit of the Slovak Deputy Prime Minister to Oman constitutes a gateway for Slovak entrepreneurs to enter this rapidly developing market. Slovak Honorary Consul in Oman, widely respected among Omani businesspeople, proves to be a valuable asset to Slovak entrepreneurs, as he is actively advocating their interests in the country.According to the entrepreneurs partaking in the delegation, the visit accomplished all the goals it set out to and its success laid the groundwork for further deepening of the mutual relations.
