Turkish-Omani Relations: The Path to Strategic Partnership

Sakarya University and Sultan Qaboos University

One of the regions that stands out clearly in Türkiye's foreign policy is the Gulf. Türkiye has determined political and economic relations with the countries of this region as one of its foreign policy priorities and has implemented policies in this context. Despite a period of tension between Türkiye and some of the Gulf countries following the Arab revolutions of 2011, the relations were back on track in 2021. Even during that time of tension, economic relations flourished. Countries like Qatar were able to form a strategic alliance with Türkiye, encouraging other smaller and non-aligned monarchies of the region to consider a similar path.

Kuwait and Oman stand out as Gulf countries with potential to strengthen their relationship with Türkiye. Initial signs of such collaborations had been taking place during the last few years between Türkiye and these countries. Türkiye and Kuwait marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024 with Kuwaiti Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s visit to Ankara in May. The visit witnessed the further strengthening of relations with the signing of six additional cooperation agreements in various fields including the defence sector. (1) Oman has also been considering advancing relations with Türkiye. It can be evident that there is substantial potential for cooperation between Oman and Türkiye; and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said’s recent visit is a clear indication of Muscat’s willingness to fortify bilateral relations.

Omani-Turkish Relations: Political Dynamics and Social Engagements

Türkiye and Oman are two major political and diplomatic actors of the Muslim world with strong state traditions and ancient civilisations. Türkiye, which was founded after the Ottoman Empire, and the Sultanate of Oman, which continues its existence as the heir of the Omani Empire, have similar historical experiences in these aspects. The two countries, which were once seen as decisive actors in regional and global politics, today dominate smaller geographies relative to their imperial pasts. Nevertheless, traces of their imperial pasts are strongly visible in both countries in terms of political culture, diplomatic relations and a strong sense of national identity.

It can be said that the friendly relations between the two countries extend back to the periods when their empires were at their strongest. As a matter of fact, it is known that the Ottomans and Omani Empire acted together in ending the Portuguese domination in Oman and surrounding areas in the 16th and 17th centuries. (2) The Ottoman Empire's close relations with Muscat at that time also contributed to Oman's transformation into a global trade empire. On the other hand, these interactions were also reflected in the social sphere and led to the emergence of a strong positive perception of the Ottoman Empire in Oman. Therefore, it can be said that the military, economic and social ties between the two countries date back to those times. (3)

The two countries, with their rich historical ties, have shown their commitment to preserving relations in the present day as well. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1973, briefly after the late Sultan Qaboos took office in Oman. (4) While mutual positive interactions took place in the following years, it was observed that the relations could not turn into a very strong partnership due to reasons such as Türkiye's prioritisation of the West in foreign policy and Oman's inward-looking approach prioritising national development.

The AK Party's rise to power in 2002 paved the way for a solid transformation in Türkiye's foreign policy and global engagement. In this context, Ankara acted to develop strong co-operation with Gulf countries and endeavoured to establish close relations with the ruling monarchies. As a result, Türkiye has established a strategic partnership with Qatar and extensive economic and commercial relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. (5) However, Türkiye is now interested in strengthening its relations with Oman as well.

Motivations of Strategic Alliance between Türkiye and Oman

Many actors prioritse their own security at a time when global and regional politics are characterised by conflict and disagreement, and the international system is experiencing a crisis in managing this process. At this point, the deepening of crises and the spread of conflicts pose risks, especially for countries close to conflict zones, such as Oman and Türkiye. Despite great progress in the field of military technology and defence industry in recent years, Türkiye's proximity to many conflict zones and the fact that it is struggling with the threat of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), especially in south Türkiye, requires Ankara to be constantly vigilant. Oman, on the other hand, constantly follows a strategy of neutrality and non-interference (6) due to its relatively small population compared to its large geography and limited national capacity in defence and security. However, Muscat has been trying to build its military and defence capabilities, particularly in the last two decades. The transforming nature of conflicts and the increasingly global dimension of crises show that the sustainability of this situation is becoming more and more difficult.

In fact, the recent statements and foreign policy activities by both countries confirm this situation. Oman has intensified its efforts to reduce tensions in the Israel-Palestine and Yemen crises, (7) while Türkiye has played a significant role in preventing some of the negative regional and global effects of the Russia-Ukraine war. (8) While these conflicts and crises have the potential to seriously affect countries such as Türkiye and Oman, which have their own weaknesses, it would be beneficial for Ankara and Muscat to evaluate the possibilities of acting together and strengthening their capacities in the process of combating these crises.

At this point, one of the issues that should be particularly emphasised for Oman is the importance of becoming self-sufficient in the fields of defence industry and military technologies. Indeed, in a global conflict environment or in the face of the evolving nature of regional threats, maximising its own capabilities is a more decisive dynamic than relying on allies. For a country like Oman, with an army composed of solely its own nationals and with a strong tradition of military discipline, what it will need most in the field of defence is state-of-the-art security equipment. As a matter of fact, modern warfare and conflict experiences show that a more important factor than numerical military power is the possession of military technologies. Türkiye has greatly improved its military capacity with the transformation it has realised in this field in recent years and has become a ‘playmaker’ actor in regional and global politics. (9) Oman, with its vast potential, can realise a similar transformation process.

Another ground for deepening cooperation between Ankara and Muscat exists in society. In fact, this aspect may have stronger potential than political and military partnership, especially from the perspective of the Omani people due to their positive perception of Türkiye. Perhaps one of the most important reasons for this is the strong historical ties. This situation manifests itself in many different ways today. Türkiye is one of the major tourism destinations for Omanis. 130,000 Omanis travelled to Türkiye for tourism purposes in 2022 alone. (10) This figure corresponds to 5% of the population. Moreover, Omani tourists visit not only Istanbul, but other cities such as Trabzon and Bursa. (11) It would not be an overestimation to conclude that one out of every two Omani citizens had visited Türkiye during the last decade, thanks to the ever-increasing number of tourist mobility from Oman to Türkiye. This is a clear indication of the positive attitude of Omanis towards Türkiye.

Another indicator in this regard is the popularity of Turkish television series in Oman. These series, which are especially popular among women and young people, are considered one of the main entertainment activities. With the influence of the series, interest in the Turkish language has also increased significantly. Interestingly, Turkish is the most preferred language among the seven language options aside from English offered at the Foreign Languages School at Sultan Qaboos University, the largest higher education institution in the country. (12) As a manifestation of this interest, following the initiatives of Türkiye's embassy in Oman, the Muscat branch of the Yunus Emre Institute started its activities as of 2024.

Potential Areas of Collaboration

There are six main areas where cooperation between Türkiye and Oman can expand. The first of these is the military cooperation, including the defence sector. For Oman, it is of great importance to not be dependent on external actors in the field of defence and to be able to combat threats on its own. For the past few years, Oman also has invested in strengthening its national defence capabilities. This policy arises from alarm over regional crises and the changing nature of threats in recent years. Türkiye's advances in the field of high-tech defence industry products make Ankara a potential partner for Muscat in this regard. In recent years, Türkiye has made serious progress in armoured military vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, ship and assault boat technologies. Initiatives in this regard have been made. In 2020, Turkish defence company Havelsan opened its joint venture with Omani company, Masirah. (13) Considering the trend of rapprochement between the two countries and the approach to expanding cooperation, serious cooperation is expected take place in the field of defence sector in the coming period.

Another area where relations between the two countries can be strengthened is trade. The trade volume between Türkiye and Oman has increased significantly in recent years, reaching almost two billion US dollars in 2023. (14) Increasing the trade volume to five billion dollars through strategic planning can bring significant economic gains to both countries. On the other hand, with its large geography and investments in development, Oman is also seen as an important investment destination for Türkiye. Turkish contractors have successfully undertaken many projects in Oman, including Muscat International Airport. (15) The metro project, which can be built from the Matrah neighbourhood in Muscat to the developing Seeb area, can be an important investment in this sense. For Oman, which places importance on foreign investments like other Gulf countries, Türkiye can be seen as a reliable foreign investment country. Additionally, there are serious investment opportunities for Oman, especially in areas such as industry, banking, telecommunications and agriculture.

Cooperation in the field of energy is also important in terms of taking the relations between the two countries to a strategic dimension. With its rapidly growing economy, Türkiye has been trying to diversify its existing resources to meet increasing energy needs. (16) On the other hand, as an energy exporting country Oman is trying to diversify its foreign markets and wants to secure its energy export flow. (17) For Oman, Türkiye represents a perfect market due to its geographical proximity which is closer than European markets. Therefore, both Ankara and Muscat have strong incentives to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the energy sector. In April 2024, the two countries signed an agreement for the export of liquefied natural gas from Oman to Türkiye for a period of 10 years. Speaking at the Istanbul Energy Forum held in November 2024, Oman LNG CEO Hamed Al Naamany indicated that this is an important opportunity, and that there is interest in growing the cooperation further. (18)

Another area for potential cooperation is industry. Creating employment opportunities for Oman’s youth population is highly important. Moreover, as mentioned in the Oman’s Vision 2040 program, one of the main targets of the Omani government is to diversify its oil-based economy. (19) By increasing cooperation with Ankara, Muscat aims to attract direct investments from Türkiye, which has made great progress in industry. The two nations' willingness to enhance collaboration will help Türkiye's business community, with its strong production (20) in sectors like textiles, automotive, heavy industry, machinery, food and pharmaceuticals, increase investments in Oman. This will support the creation of new production centres to access international markets and reduce costs. At this point, if the Omani administration takes steps to facilitate investments in the country for Turkish companies operating in these sectors and others, it will be a serious incentive for them to realise their investments, that will help creating number of employment opportunities for the Omani workforce.

Food security is also a strategic area that the two countries can increase collaboration in. Despite recent developments regarding self-sufficiency, Oman still relies heavily on imports for agriculture and livestock. (21) Statistics show that the second largest import item of Oman is food products, including vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, oils, honey, meat, dairy products and live animals. This creates a strategic threat for Oman regarding food security, particularly in times of regional conflicts such as war on Gaza and its impact on the international sea trade and global crises such as the coronavirus pandemic. (22) In order to overcome such threats, Oman and Türkiye can cooperate by either developing local products in Oman or investing agriculture sector in Türkiye for Omani consumption. In this regard, the security of trade routes also plays a crucial role and therefore a possible route connecting Türkiye and Oman via Iran is of strategic importance as well. In addition to bilateral benefits, securing and sustaining such a trade route would also benefit Iran, which has been suffering from international sanctions for many years.

Furthermore, the potential for enhanced interaction between the two countries, particularly in the tourism sector, is significant. While there is a strong flow of tourists from Oman to Türkiye, visits from Türkiye to Oman remain limited. Recognised as one of the safest countries in the world, Oman is renowned for its natural beauty, as well as its historical and cultural landmarks. Given the trend of Turkish tourists seeking warmer destinations during the winter months, Oman could easily become a popular choice, provided there are targeted marketing and public relations efforts by Omani authorities. These initiatives could significantly increase Turkish tourist visits to Oman.

Conclusion

Sultan Haitham’s visit to Türkiye is an indication of Omani leadership’s interest in enhancing relations between the two countries. The visit came at a time when regional and global crises had created serious concerns for countries with limited military and defence capabilities as well as economic challenges. Regardless of their alliances with major global players like the United States or the United Kingdom, smaller Gulf states aims to diversify their foreign engagements. This is particularly the case for Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, who have been forming new relationship patterns with emerging regional and global powers such as China, India and Türkiye.

Correspondingly, Sultan Haitham's visit is of great importance as it will usher in a new era in the relations between the two countries and lead bilateral cooperation to many new and different fields. This visit, which serves Türkiye's strategy to establish stronger ties with the Gulf countries, will further strengthen Ankara's global engagements as well. On the other hand, strengthened relations with Türkiye will also contribute to the growth of Oman's defence capabilities as well as to the economic development it pursues.