Ambassador Grappo delivers opening remarks at the conference

U.S. Ambassador Opens Conference on U.S. – Oman Free Trade Agreement

Ambassador Gary A. Grappo opened a seminar on the U.S. – Oman Free Trade Agreement with remarks in which he encouraged Omani businesses to take advantage of the benefits the Agreement provides.  The program, “Maximizing Trade with the United States” is being held on May 11 and 12 at the Crowne Plaza Muscat.  The Free Trade Agreement seminar will be followed on May 13 by a special training session for small and medium-sized enterprises on trade capacity building and export development.

The U.S. – Oman Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into effect on January 1, 2009, eliminates tariffs on almost 100 percent of goods traded between the two countries and provides full access for Omani businesses to the $14 trillion U.S. market, explained Ambassador Grappo. "The Free Trade Agreement provides Omani businesses full access to the U.S. market – the world’s largest.  This is a tremendous opportunity, one that the U.S. extends to only a few select trading partners, and I encourage Omani businesses to learn how to benefit from it,” he said.

Because of the FTA, Omani businesses are in a privileged position to export to the U.S., Ambassador Grappo added.  Additionally, trade and economic cooperation between the two countries have increased markedly over the last few years, creating a climate in which new export ventures may succeed.

The FTA seminar features American business specialists as well as government experts who are presenting ways in which Omani businesses and entrepreneurs can better take advantage of the FTA opportunities.  The presentations and panel discussions address the Agreement's requirements in specific areas of trade, best practices, and lessons learned from other countries that have benefited from FTAs with the United States, as well as ways to promote products and services in the American market. 

The seminar is being held in cooperation with Oman's Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), the Omani Center for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED) and the Omani Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI).  It is part of the U.S. Trade Capacity Building Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

For more information on this and other U.S. Embassy-sponsored programs activities, visit the Embassy website at oman.usembassy.gov.