Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik is on his first state visit to Singapore from Dec. 13 to 15.

He was invited by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to make the state visit, according to a Dec. 13 press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

New orchid hybrid to be named after the sultan

The sultan will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana on Dec. 14, and call on President Tharman, who will host a state banquet in his honour.

Separately, the sultan will meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong.

The sultan will also visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens where a new orchid hybrid will be named after him.

Singapore has upheld a longtime tradition of naming new orchid hybrids after leaders on their state visit to the nation, including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

Sultan's visit a reflection of S'pore's 'growing engagement' with the Middle East

Sultan Haitham will also receive a briefing on Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives and the Future Economy Council.

In 2014, PM Lee launched the Smart Nation initiatives to ramp up technology drive nationwide to improve Singapore’s economic and social growth, The Straits Times reported.

In addition, the Future Economy Council is aimed at transforming Singapore’s economy and growing jobs.

Oman’s state visit is a reflection of Singapore’s "growing engagement" with the Middle East, MFA said.

Likewise, Singapore has also been making state visits to countries in the Middle East.

For instance, PM Lee made a state visit to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in Oct. 2023. He met UAE president Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed and was hosted to lunch by the Saudi Arabia prime minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Top image from SingEMBinOman/X.

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