Close relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates are affirmed because thousands of people from both sides cross land, sea, and air borders seamlessly as if they were in one nation.
Diplomats from both sides stress that the two nations enjoy close ties across multiple levels, evident in frequent dialogues and high-level meetings involving top officials and ministers.
Experts have often underlined the historic visit of Late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan to the Sultanate of Oman in 1991, which marked a significant turning point by laying the foundation for cooperation and coordination in areas such as economy, trade, culture, education, communications, transport, in addition to increasing opportunities for joint investment.
These relations only strengthened in recent times when the UAE President Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan visited the Sultanate of Oman in September 2022, in response to the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
And now, the current visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the UAE during which he met Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, stems from the fraternal bonds and good neighbourliness between both countries.
It also reflects the keenness of the two countries’ leaderships to push further joint ties towards wider horizons.
During that visit, both leaders explored opportunities for increased collaboration in several sectors including finance and industry.
They reviewed developments in the region with a call for efforts to achieve peace and prosperity.
Sixteen agreements and memoranda of understanding in seven sectors were signed during the visit of Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan to Oman in 2022.
They also agreed to reach agreements on renewable energy projects, industry, health, pharmaceutical industries, real estate development, tourism, petrochemicals, manufacturing, supply chains, logistics, information technology, financial technology, and other sectors that would enhance mutual benefits and bring prosperity to the people of the two countries.
But the milestone of that visit was the joint railway network, which has made considerable progress in the efforts to advance the land transport system between the two countries.
In 2022, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to bolster the role of cultural dialogue and youth gatherings, promote exchange visits among cultural and youth authorities, and support collaboration among writers, thinkers, experts, and youth to enhance youth policies and initiatives.
Visitors from UAE were a significant part of the 2.9 million international overnight visitors Oman received in 2022.
Visitors from the UAE to Oman increased to 1,357,559 in 2022 compared to 22,322 in 2021, the largest source market for the Sultanate of Oman, while visitors from Oman contributed significantly to Dubai attracting 14.36 million international overnight visitors in 2022.
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