The Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain have signed 25 memoranda of understanding (MoUs), agreements and executive programmes covering cultural, scientific, social, health, media, financial, economic, food security, municipal and meteorology fields.

The pacts were signed today [15 January 2025] within the context of the state visit of King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Sultanate of Oman.

Five MoUs were inked by the two countries’ Ministries of Health, Information, Labour and Education, as well as Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources with its counterpart, the Bahraini Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.

Five more MoUs were inked as follows:

• An MoU in the field of meteorology, signed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Bahrain’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications;
• Two MoUs in the fields of endowments and Zakat (almsgiving), signed by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments in the Kingdom of Bahrain;
• An MoU in the field of public administration, signed by the Royal Academy of Management (Oman) and the Institute of Public Administration in the Kingdom of Bahrain; and
• An MoU in the field of capacity building to combat human trafficking, signed by Oman’s “National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking” (NCCHT) and Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority.

The two countries also signed an MoU in the field of insurance and social protection, inked by Oman’s Social Protection Fund and Bahrain’s Social Insurance Authority and an MoU in the field of exhibitions and conferences, signed by Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce signed 4 memoranda of understanding in the fields of investment promotion, intellectual property, industry, stamping precious metals and examining valuable stones.’

In addition, Oman’s Tax Authority and Bahrain National Bureau of Revenue signed an agreement on the elimination of double taxation.

The two sides signed 4 more MoUs as follows:

• An MoU in the field of investment, signed by Oman Investment Authority (OIA) and Bahrain sovereign wealth fund’s “Mumtalakat Holding Company”;
• An MoU in the field of food security, signed by “Nitaj” Company, Sultanate of Oman, and its Bahraini counterpart “Ghithaa”;
• An MoU in the field of establishing, developing and managing economic zones and industrial zones, signed by Oman’s Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) and the Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Commerce; and
• An MoU in the field of stock exchange between Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) and Bahrain Stock Exchange.

The two countries signed 4 executive programmes as follows:

• An executive programme in the field of ensuring the quality of school education, signed by the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education and Bahrain’s Education and Training Quality Authority;
• An executive programme in the field of museum activities, signed by the National Museum (Oman) and Bahrain National Museum;
• An executive programme to carry out joint municipal activities over the years (2025-2026), signed by the Ministry of Interior and Bahrain’s Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture;
• An executive programme to implement a memorandum of understanding in the fields of electricity and renewable energy, signed by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the Ministry of Electricity and Water Affairs in Bahrain.

The memoranda of understanding, agreements and executive programmes were signed on behalf of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman by Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, Sultan Salim Al Habsi, Minister of Finance, Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, Eng. Salim Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, and Nasser Khamis Al Jashmi, Chairman of the Tax Authority.

The memoranda of understanding, agreements and executive programmes were signed on behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain by Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and National Economy, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Minister and Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce.