UAE Oman Consular Consultations Set Framework For Enhanced Bilateral Cooperation

The United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman held the first round of consular consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi, aiming to deepen coordination on consular services, crisis response, and citizen support, and to align both countries’ approaches to modern consular practice in line with their wider bilateral partnership.

Discussions focused on practical ways to enhance cooperation in consular work, including joint mechanisms for crisis management, better protection of national interests abroad, and smoother procedures for citizens and foreign residents, reflecting a shared intention to strengthen institutional links between the two governments in this specialised field.

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The consultations covered exchanging expertise, knowledge, and tested practices in citizen services, with particular attention to joint search and rescue operations, assistance during emergencies, and support for foreign nationals, alongside improving digital attestation and document verification services between the UAE and Oman, so that consular procedures become faster, clearer, and more reliable.

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On the sidelines, the Omani delegation visited the UAE’s Smart Mission prototype, described as the first such model worldwide, which relies on an integrated suite of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence tools to deliver automated consular services, highlighting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ strategy to digitise processes and improve service delivery across UAE missions.

The UAE side at the UAE–Oman consular consultations was led by Omar Obaid Alhesan Alshamsi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Omani delegation was headed by Sheikh Khalid bin Hashil Al Muslahi, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Administrative and Financial Affairs, with officials from several relevant government bodies in both states also taking part.

At the opening of the UAE–Oman consular consultations, Alshamsi conveyed the greetings of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and best wishes for the talks, noting that bilateral relations draw on a shared history shaped by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said.

Alshamsi explained that cooperation between the UAE and Oman continues to grow in consular, cultural, political, security, and economic areas under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, pointing to numerous agreements, memoranda of understanding, and strategic partnerships in key sectors serving both peoples’ interests.

During the UAE–Oman consular consultations, Al Muslahi passed on the greetings of Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Foreign Minister of Oman, stressing that the talks arise from a common understanding that consular work is central to crisis management structures, national interest protection, and the facilitation of services and procedures for citizens of both countries.

Al Muslahi underlined that the first round of UAE–Oman consular consultations is an important move toward deeper coordination and structured engagement in consular fields, helping to organise joint work streams and integration mechanisms that support citizens and residents, and providing a basis for further technical cooperation and policy dialogue in the coming stages.

With inputs from WAM