LONDON: The partnership between the UK and Oman plays a vital role in securing global trade routes and freedom of navigation, the lady mayor of the City of London has said in an address for Haitham bin Tariq, the sultanate’s ruler.

Speaking on Wednesday at a banquet in Guildhall attended by more than 600 senior figures, Dame Susan Langley said that the UK and Oman are “separated by distance, but united by history and by a friendship that has endured for centuries.”

She added: “We are both outward-looking nations, shaped by the shorelines that surround us and the opportunities they bring. We understand that the freedom of the seas, the security of trade routes, and global stability are the foundations upon which prosperity and peace are built.”

Langley’s address came a day after King Charles, welcoming the Omani ruler for his three-day state visit, praised the sultanate’s “noble efforts” to serve as peacemaker in the Middle East.

Oman has played a central role in diplomatic negotiations to bring an end to the US-Iran war.

The sultanate occupies a “strategically important position” on the Strait of Hormuz, with “freedom of navigation and the safe flow of maritime trade vital to the UK and the global economy,” a press release from the City of London said.

Among the guests who attended Wednesday’s banquet were top business and political figures from the UK and Oman, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Langley hailed Britain’s diplomatic and security partnership with Oman and said that both countries were working together to respond to emerging threats.

“The greatest tribute we can pay to those who built our friendship is not simply to preserve what they created, but to make it stronger for the generations who follow,” she added.

“Because nations, like cities, never thrive by standing still. They thrive by adapting, innovating and having the courage to look forward.”

The lady mayor praised this year’s landmark UK-GCC free trade agreement, which is “opening the door to new markets, partnerships and opportunities.”

She added: “When uncertainty grows, we must deepen trust, never surrender to fear. And when the future seems less predictable, we must face it together, not apart.

“And tonight, within the walls of this ancient hall, we celebrate not simply what has been, but what is still to come. Because the greatest friendships hold true through adversity. They are those that step forward ready to face the future hand-in-hand.”