Oman’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yousuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah has stated that Oman is not yet ready for the Gulf Union but would not come in the way of its formation. He said that Bahrain opted out of the proposed union for the sake of its own identity saying that, “We didn’t want to lose our own identity for the sake of the Gulf Union.” He said, that, “We studied the proposal of Gulf Union and felt that currently it cannot be achieved.” 1

• 1. “Oman not ready for Gulf Union”, Gulf News, June 16, 2013, at http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/oman-not-ready-for-gulf-union-1.1197709