His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan attended the Oman-Kazakhstan Business Forum at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), as part of His Majesty’s state visit to Kazakhstan.

His Majesty praised the growth and development of partnership and investment between the two countries across several fields. He called for new investment and economic partnerships in various sectors and for further exploration of opportunities in both countries to serve their mutual interests.

The forum was organised by the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and Kazakhstan’s national company Kazakh Invest, in cooperation with the Oman Investment Authority (OIA). It aimed to expand economic and investment cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and Kazakhstan, with the participation of officials and business leaders from both countries.

The Forum saw the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding, as well as the official activation of electronic connectivity between the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) and the Astana International Exchange (AIX). The link enables investors to access securities listed on both markets and execute trades through qualified brokerage firms.

Abdulsalam Al Murshidi, President of the Oman Investment Authority, said economic and investment relations between Oman and Kazakhstan are growing rapidly in energy, mining, food security, logistics, tourism and financial services.

He said the establishment of the joint Oman-Kazakhstan Investment Fund represents an important step towards expanding investment between the two countries. He added that the creation of the Oman-Kazakhstan Business Council would strengthen the role of the private sector and advance economic relations.

Nurlan Zhakupov, CEO of the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund, said the Forum brought together business representatives from both countries. He said discussions focused on food security, transport, logistics, mining and energy, all of which offer significant potential for expanding bilateral trade and investment.

Faisal Al Rawas, Chairman of the OCCI, told the Oman News Agency that the support extended to Oman’s private sector and His Majesty’s attention to empowering it and expanding its contribution to economic development have helped create a more open and competitive business environment, broadening opportunities for partnerships and investment with global markets.

He said the attendance of His Majesty and the Kazakh President at the Oman-Kazakhstan Business Forum reflects the high-level support given to economic and investment relations between the two countries and their ambition to develop broader and more sustainable partnerships. This would strengthen the private sector’s role in advancing cooperation and turning available opportunities into initiatives and projects that serve mutual interests.

Al Rawas said the Forum provides an important platform for moving commercial and economic relations from understanding towards practical partnerships. It also highlights the private sector’s role in translating the strong relations between the two countries into projects and investments that create added value.

He expressed the hope that the bilateral business meetings held alongside the Forum would build direct links between Omani and Kazakh companies and identify priority areas for cooperation, leading to practical partnerships and projects and broader, more sustainable economic and commercial cooperation.

Dr Salim bin Abdullah Al Shanfari, head of the Omani delegation on the Joint Oman-Kazakhstan Business Council, told the Oman News Agency that establishing the Council alongside His Majesty’s state visit gives its launch particular significance and strengthens prospects for sustainable cooperation between the business communities of both countries.

He said the Council would identify priorities for trade and investment cooperation, assess companies’ needs and direct efforts towards opportunities and projects that meet private sector aspirations.

He added that the Forum marks a practical starting point for the Council by facilitating contacts between companies and allowing them to explore potential areas of cooperation. The Council will continue to follow up on opportunities and proposals arising from the Forum and coordinate with relevant stakeholders to develop them into practical partnerships and projects serving shared economic interests.

The forum also featured two panel discussions.

The first, on  “Food Security: Building Oman-Kazakhstan Supply Chains”, included Nasser bin Khalifa Al Kindi, CEO of Invest Oman at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion; Abdullah bin Salim Al Fazari, Director General of Strategy and Performance at Oman Food Investment Holding Company; and representatives of government and private sector organisations in Kazakhstan.

The session discussed food security, agricultural trade and the development of Oman-Kazakhstan supply chains. It also explored opportunities to expand trade in agricultural and food products and strengthen integration between production, markets and logistics to create more efficient and sustainable supply chains.

The second panel on  “Transport and Logistics Systems as Drivers of Trade and Investment”, included Said bin Ali Al Abri, member of the Board of Directors of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of its North Al Batinah branch; Al Khattab bin Salim Al Maawali, Senior Manager for Trade Facilitation at the Oman Logistics Centre within Asyad Group; Salim bin Marhoon Al Hashmi of Oman Tank Terminal Company; and representatives of government and private sector organisations in Kazakhstan.

The session examined the role of transport and logistics systems in driving trade and investment, with a focus on infrastructure, trade corridors and logistics services in facilitating the movement of goods and products.

The Forum also included bilateral meetings between business leaders and company representatives from Oman and Kazakhstan. The meetings provided an opportunity to discuss cooperation, explore investment and trade opportunities, and better understand market needs.

They also provided a direct platform for exploring partnerships in sectors of common interest, strengthening links between companies and building business relationships that can contribute to the further development of economic and investment cooperation between Oman and Kazakhstan.