Oman, Bahrain Forge 25 Strategic Agreements and MoUs

General

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain have entered into a significant collaboration by signing 25 memoranda of understanding (MoUs), agreements, and executive programmes. These pacts encompass a wide range of fields, including cultural, scientific, social, health, media, financial, economic, food security, municipal, and meteorology sectors.

According to Oman News Agency, these agreements were formalized during the state visit of King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Oman. The collaboration aims to strengthen bilateral ties in various sectors, with five MoUs signed by the Ministries of Health, Information, Labour, and Education from both countries, along with Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources and Bahrain’s Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.

Further agreements include an MoU in meteorology between the Civil Aviation Authority and Bahrain’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications. Additionally, two MoUs in the fields of endowments and Zakat were signed, along with a public administration agreement between the Royal Academy of Management (Oman) and Bahrain’s Institute of Public Administration. Moreover, an MoU focusing on capacity building to combat human trafficking was signed by Oman’s National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking and Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority.

The collaboration also includes an MoU in insurance and social protection, signed by Oman’s Social Protection Fund and Bahrain’s Social Insurance Authority, and an MoU for exhibitions and conferences between Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion along with Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce signed four MoUs in investment promotion, intellectual property, industry, and the examination of valuable stones and metals. In addition, an agreement was reached between Oman’s Tax Authority and Bahrain National Bureau of Revenue to eliminate double taxation.

Additional MoUs were signed in investment, food security, economic and industrial zone development, and the stock exchange fields. These were executed by entities such as the Oman Investment Authority and Bahrain’s Mumtalakat Holding Company, as well as the Muscat Stock Exchange and the Bahrain Stock Exchange.

The executive programmes signed include initiatives for quality assurance in school education, museum activities, joint municipal activities for 2025-2026, and implementing MoUs in electricity and renewable energy. These were signed by various Omani and Bahraini authorities and ministries.

The agreements were signed on behalf of Oman by key ministers, including Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi, Sultan Salim Al Habsi, Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Eng. Salim Nasser Al Aufi, and Nasser Khamis Al Jashmi. Their Bahraini counterparts included Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro.