The new dawn arrived on 23 July, 1970, by way of Sultan Qaboos bin Said's accession to the throne, a leader who bridled at the suffering of his people and whose own ancestry bore the scars of long struggle.

Qaboos bin Said was born in Salalah in Dhofar on 18 November 1940, the only son of Sultan Said bin Taimur, then ruler of the country. He spent the first 16 years of his life in Salalah, where he was educated, until his father sent him to a private educational establishment in England. At the age of 20, he entered Sandhurst Royal Military Academy as an officer cadet. After passing out of Sandhurst, he joined a British Infantry battalion on operational duty in Germany for one year, followed by a staff appointment with the British Army. After military service, Qaboos studied local government in England and went on a world tour before returning to Oman in 1964. The following six years were spent in Salalah studying Islam and the history of his country and people. However, during this time, the Qaboos became aware of the poverty of his people and the poor standards of living to which they were subjected. On 23 July 1970, his father abdicated and Sultan Qaboos bin Said acceded to the throne.

His Majesty has a deep sympathy towards Omani youths and is committed to preserving Oman’s deep-rooted traditions and customs which have been inherited from her ancestors. This commitment ensures that the Omani youth is protected from the dangers of the subversive influences which are engulfing the world’s youth today.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos broke down the barriers between his country and other nations. In 1971, Oman lodged applications to join the League of Arab Nations and the United Nations, both of which were successful. Soon after, in 1972, diplomatic relations were established between Oman and Great Britain, India, Pakistan, United States, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. In 1973, Oman became a member of the Non-Aligned Group of Nations.

•  The Sultan’s hard work in enhancing Oman’s status in the eyes of the world was increasingly successful and   directly reflected its foreign policy:
   

• To develop and maintain good relations with Oman’s neighbours.

• To maintain an outward-looking and internationalist outlook as befits long-standing maritime traditions.

• To have a pragmatic approach to bilateral relations, emphasising underlying geostrategic realities rather than temporary ideological positions.

• To obtain security through cooperation and peace, rather than conflict.

A modern port, Mina Qaboos, replaced the tiny ancient port of Muscat in 1974, with a capacity to handle two million tonnes, annually. Over the years, the port has been improved and expanded.

Sultan Qaboos had made a determined start to modernizing his country and in 1976 he introduced the first of his Five-Year Plans. This first plan to develop Oman had a number of main objectives:

• To develop new sources of national revenue.

• To increase the ratio of focussed investment, particularly in the production sectors.

• To distribute investment over the various geographical regions.

• To support and develop residential centres and protect them against the danger of mass migration.

• To take due care of water resources in recognition of their importance to economic activity.

• To ensure the development of local human resources.

• To complete basic infrastructure.

• To support local commercial activity, to improve the transport system and storage facilities and to complete the basic infrastructure for a national economy based on free competition and not on restrictive trading practises.

In 1982, the first oil refinery in Oman, Mina al-Fahal was opened, as well as the Rima oil fields. (However, it was not Sultan Qaboos’ desire to rely on oil as the major source of revenue for the country and the next Five-Year Plan brought guidelines for diversification.)