Viet Nam, Oman hold 5th political consultation in Ha Noi
VGP - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang and Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Oman Khalifa bin Ali bin Issa Al-Harthy co-chaired the 5th political consultation between the two countries' foreign ministries in Ha Noi on November 4.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang (R) meets Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Oman Khalifa bin Ali bin Issa Al-Harthy, Ha Noi, November 4, 2026 - Photo: VNA
Nguyen spoke highly of Oman's mediation efforts in the region, which have helped ease tensions and created favorable conditions for parties concerned to seek diplomatic solutions to differences.
Highlighting energy and logistics as two important pillars of the bilateral cooperation, she called on businesses from both countries to strengthen connectivity and cooperation to ensure stable and long-term energy supplies for Viet Nam, while exploring the possibility of connecting Oman's deep-water ports with Vietnamese ports.
She proposed that the two sides enhance business-to-business connectivity and cooperation, and urged Oman to encourage investors to invest in technology infrastructure projects and Viet Nam's International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.
The host expressed her hope that Oman would support Viet Nam in developing its Halal industry, provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in the country, and leverage its role as a bridge to promote Viet Nam-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) relations, including the early launch of negotiations on a Viet Nam-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
For his part, Al-Harthy affirmed that Viet Nam and Oman share many commonalities, creating an important foundation for further advancing bilateral cooperation in the coming time.
He stressed the need for both sides to sustain the impressive trade growth recorded in 2026 in subsequent years, affirming that Oman stands ready to serve as a gateway for Viet Nam to access the Gulf market.
He emphasized his country's readiness to facilitate Vietnamese businesses' investment and exports to Oman, enabling them to tap into the Middle Eastern market and Oman's extensive network of partners.
Oman is willing to support a Viet Nam-GCC FTA or another bilateral trade framework suitable for both sides, he noted.
The guest proposed the two sides facilitate people-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions, while exploring the possibility of establishing direct air routes between the two countries.
The two Deputy Ministers expressed satisfaction with the positive progress in Viet Nam-Oman relations. Remarkably, the bilateral trade turnover reached US$1.6 billion in the first eight months of 2026, more than five times the figure recorded for the whole of 2025.
Both sides also vowed to promote the exchange of delegations at all levels in the coming time and work towards the early establishment of resident diplomatic missions in each other's capitals.
The two sides pledged to further strengthen ties and mutual support at multilateral, international and regional forums, particularly within the framework of the United Nations.
Both sides also agreed to enhance connectivity and effective cooperation between ASEAN and the GCC, as well as between Viet Nam and the GCC, while sharing perspectives on regional and international issues of mutual concern./.