On the second day of his visit to Oman, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday met Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. No news conference was held following the meeting but the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications announced that bilateral relations and Gaza dominated Erdoğan and sultan's meeting.
In a statement posted on social media, the directorate said two leaders discussed ties as well as regional and global issues. "Erdoğan highlighted deep-rooted historic ties between Türkiye and Oman and underlined that his visit cemented solidarity between the two countries," the statement said.
The president pledged to develop cooperation between Türkiye and Oman in many fields, from industry and economy to defense and telecommunications. He also noted that Türkiye and Oman had converging stands on several issues, particularly the Palestinian cause. He expressed appreciation for Oman's efforts in its region based on mediation and dialogue. He said Türkiye and Oman would work together for a two-state solution to end the conflict that left Gaza in ruins and claimed tens of thousands of lives since 2023. Since the new round of conflict began, Türkiye has advocated a sovereign State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, as the only viable step towards a permanent peace in the region. Recently, Ankara joined Qatar and Egypt for mediation of the ongoing cease-fire between Hamas and Israel.
The closed-to-press meeting was followed by a meeting between the Turkish and Omani delegations.
Erdoğan and the sultan later attended a ceremony for the signing of 16 bilateral deals, memoranda of understanding by ministers and top officials of both countries.
Oman is the final stop of Erdoğan’s three-day Gulf tour, which included Kuwait and Qatar.
An official welcoming ceremony was held at the Al Alam Palace for Erdoğan on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalın and Communications Director Burhanettin Duran are among the senior officials accompanying Erdoğan.
Following their first meeting on Wednesday, Erdoğan presented the sultan with Türkiye’s domestically produced electric vehicle, Togg. The two leaders examined the car in the palace courtyard, where Kacır briefed the Omani ruler on the vehicle’s design and technological features.
Last year, Erdoğan hosted the Omani sultan in his first-ever visit to Türkiye.
The first relations between the Turkish state and Oman began in the 11th century, and ties developed significantly during the Ottoman period, spanning from the 14th century to the early 1900s, with praise-filled correspondence between the rulers of the two sides.
Oman was a key crossroads for commerce, which was attractive to the Ottoman Empire. The two sides had relations "in all aspects," including trade ties, as well as "military cooperation to secure trade routes" from Africa and the Far East.
