ANKARA : The meeting was chaired on the Omani side by His Excellency Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, and on the Turkish side by His Excellency Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye. Discussions centred on identifying practical priorities that can be translated into joint programmes and projects of mutual economic and developmental interest.

Key agenda items included trade and investment, with both sides reviewing the current state of bilateral trade exchange and exploring ways to diversify traded goods and increase overall trade volumes. The committee also discussed activating the role of business councils, forums and exhibitions, while promoting joint investment opportunities through e-commerce solutions, shared platforms, and shipping and re-export facilities.

Cooperation in industry and industrial zones featured prominently, with talks covering joint manufacturing, knowledge and technology transfer, innovation-driven manufacturing, and collaboration within industrial zones, special economic zones and free zones. In addition, the committee reviewed cooperation in specifications, standards and accreditation, including training, exchange of expertise in conformity assessment, digital transformation in standardisation, and collaboration in metrology.

Other areas of cooperation discussed included financial and banking services, small and medium enterprises, transport and logistics, energy and mining, alongside technical cooperation programmes, experience exchange, logistics corridors and supply-chain integration. Broader sectors such as tourism, culture and sports, education and higher education, scientific research and innovation, health and environment, urban planning, media and capacity building were also on the agenda.

The session witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the field of education, aimed at strengthening educational cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Türkiye.

The meeting was attended by His Excellency Saif bin Rashid Al Jahwari, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Republic of Turkey, Engineer Hamoud bin Salem Al Saadi, Second Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Salem bin Abdullah Al Rawas, Chairman of the Omani side of the Omani-Turkish Joint Business Council, along with senior officials from both sides.

On the sidelines, His Excellency Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef held separate meetings with His Excellency Omar Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Turkey, and His Excellency Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology. The discussions focused on boosting trade exchange, enhancing private-sector partnerships, advancing joint manufacturing, and forming technical working groups to support industrial collaboration.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion also organised a roundtable meeting with Turkish investors, highlighting investment opportunities in Oman across four priority sectors, industry, energy, tourism and health. The dialogue showcased Oman’s competitive advantages, including its strategic location, political and economic stability, supportive legislative framework, government incentives and major ongoing projects.

Turkish investments in Oman have seen notable growth, with the number of Turkish companies operating in the Sultanate rising by 21 per cent by the end of September this year, while the volume of Turkish investments increased by 18.7 per cent, reflecting strong investor confidence in Oman’s investment environment.

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