Muscat – A longstanding demand of Omanis to be exempted from the Schengen visa requirement to enter Europe will be looked into within two weeks.

This was announced during a press conference in Muscat on Tuesday addressed by H E Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali al Harthy, Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs in the Foreign Ministry.

Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary General and Political Director of European External Action Service, also addressed the press conference.

The European Union official stressed on the ‘historic role’ of Oman and its efforts in resolving several regional and international issues, especially with regard to the Iranian nuclear issue.

He said that there are ongoing negotiations with GCC countries related to free trade. Mora added that the EU is looking forward to enhancing cooperation with the countries of the region in several areas, including maritime security, training, energy and technology.

H E Harthy informed that EU will soon open a representative office in the sultanate. He affirmed that relations between Oman and EU are developed and growing further. “The sultanate welcomes the EU Strategic Partnership with the Gulf and looks forward to strengthening relations in various fields.”

The European Commission adopted a Joint Communication on Strategic Partnership with the Gulf with the aim of broadening and deepening EU’s cooperation with the GCC and its member countries on May 18.

The Joint Communication addresses a series of key policy areas, presenting concrete proposals for strengthened EU-GCC cooperation on energy, green transition and climate change, trade and economic diversification, regional stability and global security, humanitarian and development challenges, and closer people-to-people contacts.