Sultan Haitham bin Tariq ascended the throne on 11 January 2020 after the passing of his cousin, Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Previously, Sultan Haitham served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and as Minister of Heritage and Culture from 2002, a position he held until his inauguration as Sultan of Oman. In his first speech to his nation, Sultan Haitham promised to “follow the path of Sultan Qaboos and build upon it”. Sultan Haitham is a passionate sportsman and was the first to head the Oman Football Association in the early 1980s. He is also chairman of the “2040 Oman Vision” and was described by The Economist as “outward-looking and Western-oriented”.