Britain’s King Charles III has welcomed Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq for a state visit, praising the Gulf Arab monarch’s efforts to broker peace in the region.

Haitham bin Tariq said his country has chosen the path of diplomacy in a region rife with conflict, following a day of ceremonies including a reception by a red-uniformed military honour guard at Windsor Castle.

“In a region that has known too much conflict, Oman has chosen a different path, an independent path,” the Omani ruler said during a state banquet on Tuesday.

“Britain has been a friend on this path and has stood beside us in this duty,” he added.

King Charles III praised Oman’s peacemaking attempts in the Middle East, paying tribute to Muscat’s “noble efforts” to help reopen the choked Strait of Hormuz.

“I would especially like to recognise, at a time when conflict has returned so painfully to the region, Oman’s enduring commitment as a trusted interlocutor to all parties,” Charles told about 160 guests at the lavish dinner.

“Oman’s role across the Gulf and her ‘constructive neutrality’, as you put it, matters far beyond Hormuz, and is worthy of our utmost respect,” Britain’s king added in a toast to the Omani sultan.

First in 44 years

The sultan’s visit, the first state visit to Britain by a sultan of Oman in 44 years, comes amid severe turbulence in the Middle East prompted by the Iran war.

Oman, a key United Kingdom military ally which borders the vital Hormuz waterway, has acted as a mediator in talks between the United States and Iran since the US-Israel war against Iran started in late February.

The Omani sultan is due to hold talks on Wednesday in Downing Street with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, where security, trade and investment are expected to be high on the agenda.

Burnham was among those at Tuesday’s banquet, alongside the chief executives of Shell, BP and Airbus, as well as various royals and other dignitaries.