Say Yes for Children is a global campaign that will penetrate into every part of the world, to mobilize people from all walks of life around the issues that affect children's lives. Please take a minute to SAY YES right now. With full membership of the World Trade Organisation since November 2000, the Sultanate has emerged as a jewel in the Middle East and a fine place to do business, the leading European business magazine said in a recent country report. Known until 1970 as the hermit of Arabia, Oman has a deep history and is the oldest independent Arab state in the world, the report written by Richard Lofthouse said. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos led a remarkable renaissance in the country's fortunes and in less than three decades, Oman shot from medieval conditions to a modern, high-tech state, the article added.
Oman is tolerant and enlightened.
Gender equality is enshrined in the education system, the magazine pointed out. Dubbed by some as the Switzerland of the Middle East, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has carved Oman a careful niche in economics and international relations, Lofthouse said. The core consideration for any potential foreign investor in Oman is that the Basic Law proffers free enterprise, private property, a just taxation regime, free speech and a transparent legal system. There are no exchange controls and foreigners can move their capital in and out of Oman as they wish. During this time, Oman will transition away from oil to natural gas, of which its has reserves of over 22 trillion cubic feet, and to tourism, the magazine said.