Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Sultan Haitham of Oman on Thursday, on the final stop of the Turkish President's three-day Gulf tour.
The meeting took place behind closed doors at Al Alam Palace in Muscat, Oman’s capital, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing diplomatic sources.
Following their one-to-one talks, President Erdogan and Sultan Haitham co-chaired a meeting between their delegations and attended the signing ceremony for several bilateral agreements in areas including investment, information technology, military co-operation, defence and mining.
The two countries also announced the establishment of the Turkey-Oman Co-ordination Council to monitor the implementation of memoranda of understanding and agreements, and to strengthen bilateral co-operation, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The leaders agreed to a reciprocal visa exemption for their citizens to facilitate travel between the two nations. Oman welcomed Turkey’s decision to exempt Omani nationals from advance visa requirements, and Turkey announced a similar exemption for holders of ordinary Omani passports. The move reflects the deepening of bilateral relations, the ministry's statement added.
Mr Erdogan and his wife, Emine, arrived in Muscat on Wednesday for a two-day state visit. He has also visited Kuwait and Qatar on his tour.
Ankara has been seeking to strengthen economic ties, boost regional diplomacy and reduce its dependence on Russian energy – a request made by US President Donald Trump during Mr Erdogan’s visit to the White House in September.
During the tour, Mr Erdogan signed agreements with key Gulf partners covering areas including trade, defence, maritime transport, direct investment and energy co-operation.
Another focus of the trip was ensuring the ceasefire in Gaza endures – a deal Turkey helped to broker alongside the US, Egypt and Qatar.
In Qatar, Mr Erdogan and the Emir, Sheikh Tamim, held a closed-door meeting. “Our goal, as Qatar and Turkey, is to ensure the ceasefire in Gaza is permanent and to prevent any steps that could disrupt it,” Turkey’s ambassador Mustafa Goksu told Anadolu.
Mr Erdogan’s visit was “of particular importance given the circumstances and challenges facing the Arab region”, Qatar’s official news agency said.
Turkey and Qatar both have close ties with Hamas and played key roles in urging the militant group to accept the ceasefire deal to end more than two years of war in Gaza. More than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks and much of the enclave is in ruins.
Nato member Turkey is involved in negotiations over sending troops to form part of an international stabilisation force in Gaza that would oversee security and eventually train new Palestinian police forces.
Egypt wants the stabilisation force envisaged in Mr Trump's peace plan to be led by US forces and to include Turkey, as part of its conditions for participating, sources have told The National.
On Tuesday, Mr Erdogan's delegation signed agreements on maritime transport, direct investment and energy co-operation with Kuwait.
