On January 22, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs His Excellency Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah signed a U.S.-Oman Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement in Davos, Switzerland. In the new Agreement, the United States and Oman announce their intention to strengthen and broaden the scientific and technological capabilities and communities of their respective countries. This Agreement will promote scientific and technological cooperation in areas of mutual benefit for peaceful purposes, and to provide opportunities to exchange ideas, information, skills, and techniques.
On the occasion of the signing, U.S. Ambassador to Oman Marc J. Sievers commented, “The United States welcomes this opportunity to enhance cooperation with Oman on science and technology issues, and to build upon our already robust partnership. We look forward to working with Omanis to advance scientific research and to use technology to help further Oman’s goals of economic diversification and fostering entrepreneurship. We also anticipate that this Agreement will benefit the United States by providing new research opportunities for our scientists, new partnerships for our academic institutions, and new ways for the science and technology communities in both the U.S. and Oman to be more globally competitive.”
The United States is a party to over 50 binding bilateral and multilateral science and technology cooperation agreements that provide the framework for international collaboration. These agreements provide a mechanism for critical research and development efforts that improve the human condition, facilitate the exchange of scientific data and results, protect intellectual property rights, and establish partnerships with counterpart institutions abroad.
