Oman and Turkey agree to relax visa procedures

Oman and Turkey have agreed to relax visa procedure for their citizens.

The agreement was reached during an official visit to Muscat by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed held talks with Erdogan at Bait Al Baraka on Tuesday on various aspects of cooperation and ways of enhancing bilateral relations.

A joint statement, issued at the end of their meeting, expressed the desire of both the countries to conclude an agreement on promotion and protection of investments as well as an agreement to avoid double taxation, in order to boost trade exchanges and other businesses and commercial activities.

"Oman and Turkey have also agreed to facilitate issuance of visa on border entry points to holders of ordinary passports from both the countries," the joint statement said.

The two sides exchanged views on a number of political, regional and international issues, including the situation in Iraq, the progress of efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the necessity to find a just solution to the Cyprus issue on the basis of a UN plan.

Both sides stressed the importance of preserving the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq, its security and stability and to deal with all the issues through dialogue.

The Turkish leader expressed concerns about the recent developments in Iraq during his address to Omani businessmen. "We have a burden of responsibility as Iraq's neighbours," Erdogan said.

Erdogan reiterated that the Iraqi Constitution should take care of not just the interests of Kurds and Shiites but also all the other ethnic groups.

Erdogan expressed his admiration for Oman's continuous development in all fields. He also commended the natural beauty of Oman's environment as well as the stability and security the Sultanate enjoys under the wise leadership of Sultan Qaboos.

The Turkish Prime Minister extended an invitation to Sultan Qaboos to visit the Republic of Turkey.