Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah
يوسف بن علوي بن عبد الله
Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in 2013
Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs
In office
1997 – 18 August 2020
Preceded byQais Bin Abdul Munim Al Zawawi
Succeeded bySayyid Badr Albusaidi
Personal details
Born1945 (age 78–79)
Salalah, Oman
OccupationPolitician

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah (Arabic: يوسف بن علوي بن عبد الله, born 1945) is an Omani politician. He was the Sultanate of Oman's Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs. It is important to clarify that "Ministers in Responsibility" were previously appointed as the Sultan was intended to hold the official position of "Minister of Foreign Affairs" himself.[1][2]

Early life

Yusuf bin Alawi studied and worked in Kuwait. In 1970 he met Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said for the first time, shortly after his take-over. Alawi had been a dissident and associated with a Dhofar secession movement against the current Sultan's father.[3] However, once Sultan Qaboos acceded power, he encouraged Omani dissidents to come out of overseas exile and assist in the rebuilding of Oman.[4] In the period between 1973 and 1974 Yusuf bin Alawi occupied an ambassador role in Beirut.[5]

Career

Alawi meets with U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on November 25, 2019.

He was appointed as the Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs in 1997 by Royal Decree No. 85/97 and was replaced on 18 August 2020 with Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi (actioned by Royal Decree No. 111/2020) as part of a significant government restructure.[6]

Alawi has recently met with the US Secretary of State in Washington to discuss ways to better engage Iran. Oman is unusual among Arab states of the Persian Gulf in that it has a long history of cordial relations with Tehran, something Washington is keen to make use of in resolving a number of regional security issues.[7][8][9]

Canada-Omani relations

In September 2016, Oman played an important role in securing the release of Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian citizen and professor at Concordia University. She had been held prisoner in Iran's Evin Prison since 6 June 2016. This happened soon after a secretive meeting between Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and Alawi.[10]

Hacking

In 2019, it was revealed that Yusuf bin Alawi had been targeted by Project Raven; a UAE clandestine surveillance and hacking operation targeting other governments, militants and human rights activists critical of the UAE monarchy. Using a "sophisticated spying tool called Karma", they managed to hack a device belonging to Yusuf bin Alawi.[11][12]

Honours

  • Sultan Haitham bin Tarik honoured Alawi with the highest civilian award (Royal Commendation Order – First Class) for his contributions to Oman.[13]

Foreign honour

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Eye On Stability". The Business Year. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "Oman transfers powers from Sultan's remit in government revamp". August 18, 2020 – via uk.reuters.com.
  3. ↑ Valeri, Marc (2009). Oman: Politics and Society in the Qaboos State. Hurst. p. 60. ISBN 9781850659334. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  4. ↑ Peterson, J. E. (2013). Oman's Insurgencies: The Sultanate's Struggle for Supremacy. Saqi. ISBN 9780863567025. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "HE Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah | FIKR Conferences". fikrconferences.org. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Oman Transfers Powers From Sultan's Remit in Government Revamp". The New York Times. Reuters. 2020-08-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  7. ↑ "Omani foreign minister meets Tillerson as Washington seeks channel to Tehran". The National. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "Remarks With Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah Before Their Meeting". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  9. ↑ Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce (2002). Middle East Contemporary Survey. The Moshe Dayan Center. p. 101. ISBN 9789652240491.
  10. ↑ Cochrane, David (26 September 2016). "Private meeting at UN between Trudeau team and Omani officials led to Hoodfar's release by Iran". CBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  11. ↑ UAE used cyber super-weapon to spy on Iphones of foes, by Joel Schectman and Christopher Bing, January 30, 2019, Reuters
  12. ↑ Inside the UAE’s secret hacking team of American mercenaries, by Christopher Bing and Joel Schectman, January 30, 2019, Reuters
  13. ↑ Times News Service. "HM confers Royal Order of Commendation on Alawi". Times of Oman. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  14. ↑ "Alawi conferred Japan's 'Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun'". Muscat Daily. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
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