Muscat – Oman and Kazakhstan are set to broaden their economic and strategic partnership as His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik begins a state visit to Astana on Monday, the first visit by an Omani Sultan to Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asian region.

The visit is expected to advance cooperation beyond political ties, with agreements and memoranda of understanding planned in areas including air transport, investment protection, information technology, artificial intelligence, healthcare and agriculture.

Trade between the two countries has also gathered pace. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information, bilateral trade rose from RO421,500 in 2025 to RO22.9mn in the first six months of 2026.

The two sides are also looking to turn their strategic geographical positions into a logistics corridor linking Central Asia with markets in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

Sheikh Dr Salah bin Salem Jaaboub (in picture above), Oman’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, said the visit marked a historic milestone in relations that have developed over more than three decades.

Oman was among the first countries to recognise Kazakhstan’s independence and was also among the first Arab countries to invest there, including through participation in the consortium transporting oil from the Tengiz field.

Sheikh Jaaboub said the visit would move bilateral relations into a broader phase, with the establishment of an Omani-Kazakh Joint Committee for Economic, Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation providing an institutional framework for implementing agreements.

Logistics is emerging as a key area. Discussions are under way on transporting Kazakh exports, including wheat, through Oman, potentially strengthening the sultanate’s role as a gateway to regional markets.

Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Oman, Aidarbek Tumatov, said the two countries could develop a multimodal corridor connecting Kazakhstan’s road and rail networks with Omani ports.

He said Kazakhstan’s position at the heart of Eurasia and Oman’s access to the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean offered opportunities to facilitate trade between China, Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

The corridor could also open markets for Kazakh minerals, grains and food products while providing Central Asian routes for Omani exports.

Recent high-level contacts have added momentum. H H Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, visited Kazakhstan in April, followed by a visit to Muscat by Roman Sklyar, Chief of Staff of the Kazakh Presidential Administration, in May.

Tourism is another growing link, supported by mutual visa exemption and direct flights. More than 21,000 Kazakh visitors have travelled to Oman, while more than 15,000 Omanis have visited Kazakhstan over the past two years.

The upcoming visit is therefore expected to build on a relationship increasingly focused on trade, investment, transport and practical economic cooperation.