Minsk, Belarus – Seven memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed on Wednesday during the Oman–Belarus Business Forum, held in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The signing took place on the sidelines of a visit by an Omani trade delegation to the Republic of Belarus.

The MoUs, signed between Omani and Belarusian companies, cover food security, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) prototypes for the water, agriculture and soil sectors, knowledge transfer, joint packaging, manufacturing expertise transfer, urban planning infrastructure, smart city solutions, and geographic information systems (GIS).

Dr Saud Hamoud Al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, said Oman places great importance on enhancing investment in the food security sector through the ministry’s strategic investment programme, which has become one of the main drivers of growth in agriculture, fisheries and food industries. He noted that under the programme within the Tenth Five-Year Plan, 493 investment projects have been implemented with a total value of RO1.8bn, equivalent to US$4.7bn.

In his address at the forum, the minister emphasised Oman’s keenness to enhance cooperation with Belarus in agriculture, food security, food industries and innovation, calling for expanded technical and investment cooperation between the two countries to strengthen food security and bilateral partnership.

He highlighted the importance of exchanging expertise and benefiting from successful experiences in developing the agricultural sector and deploying modern technologies, underscoring Oman’s efforts to develop agriculture, fisheries and water resources as part of its sustainable development agenda.

Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, noted in his speech the joint action plan between the two sides and the follow-up measures arising from reciprocal visits by the leaderships of both countries. He also highlighted the importance of participation from the agriculture, food security and information technology sectors, and the potential to expand cooperation to include petrochemicals, trade, infrastructure and logistics.

Yuri Gorlov, Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus, emphasised the importance of Omani–Belarusian relations, particularly with the commencement of exports of several Belarusian agricultural products to the Sultanate of Oman.

He also praised Oman’s competitive advantages, which could help attract investments from Belarusian companies, as well as the high quality of Omani products showcased at the Belagro 2026 exhibition currently being held in Minsk.

Meanwhile, Faisal Abdullah Al Rowas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and head of the Omani trade delegation, said the forum reflects the shared commitment of both sides to transforming strong bilateral relations into practical economic partnerships. He noted that it follows the success of the Oman–Belarus Business Forum held in Muscat last April, which helped strengthen ties between the private sectors of both countries.

On the sidelines of the forum, bilateral meetings were held between representatives of companies and institutions from both sides to develop new commercial and investment partnerships, helping to expand trade and strengthen economic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Belarus.

ONA