Muscat – His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye agreed to establish the Omani-Turkish Coordinating Council to strengthen bilateral cooperation and ensure follow-up on agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries.

The decision was announced in a joint communiqué issued at the end of President Erdogan’s state visit to Oman on October 23 following an invitation from His Majesty the Sultan. The visit underscored both countries’ shared commitment to advancing strategic partnership and expanding cooperation across multiple sectors.

During talks in Muscat, the two leaders reviewed ways to enhance trade, investment and industrial collaboration, and to activate the role of joint committees to boost trade exchange. They also discussed opportunities to deepen public-private partnerships and increase joint investments.

Several agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed during the visit, covering media and communications, investment, food, information technology, competition and monopoly prevention, industry, science and innovation, military cooperation, defence industries, and mining. An agreement was also signed to allocate land for establishing a Turkish educational institution in Oman.

Both countries reaffirmed their support for ongoing negotiations on a free trade agreement between Türkiye and the Gulf Cooperation Council states, viewing it as a step towards greater economic integration.

In a move to further strengthen people-to-people ties, Oman announced visa exemption for Turkish citizens holding ordinary passports, while Türkiye reciprocated by waiving pre-entry visas for Omani citizens.

The two sides praised existing cooperation in culture, heritage and higher education, and agreed to expand cultural, artistic and academic exchanges. They also exchanged views on regional and international developments and reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting security, stability and the peaceful resolution of conflicts in line with international law.

On the Gaza situation, Oman and Türkiye welcomed the ceasefire and stressed the importance of its full implementation, emphasising that progress from the talks should contribute to achieving the two-state solution. They expressed appreciation for the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the humanitarian crisis and advance prospects for lasting peace. Oman also praised Türkiye’s efforts in this regard. 

President Erdogan commended Oman’s role in promoting regional dialogue and peace, while His Majesty the Sultan acknowledged Türkiye’s continued support for Arab and Islamic causes.

At the conclusion of the visit, Erdogan thanked His Majesty the Sultan for the warm hospitality and extended an invitation for him to visit Türkiye, which His Majesty accepted.