By Mona Sheshtar
CAIRO, Feb 4 (KUNA) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi's planned visit to Muscat at the invitation of Sultan Qaboos bin Said is of special significance as it will the first of its kind sine Al-Sisi took over in June 2014.
The Egyptian president is expected to meet with the Omani leader, and senior officials from both sides will also meet together on ways of promoting and developing cooperation in various fields.
They will also exchange views on major Arab, regional and international issues and subjects of mutual interest.
Egyptian-Omani relations acquire their strength from the historic dimension and deep and firm bonds in political, economic and cultural domains.
Cairo and Muscat have permanent consolations on positions and policies that concern both Arab capitals, especially regarding the latest regional developments.
They usually share the call for resolving regional problems through dialogue, bearing in mind a united Arab stance bearing on key challenges the Arab world is facing.
Economically, statistics show that the sultanate's exports to Egypt totaled around USD 43.7 million in 2016, while its imports from Cairo amounted to USD 124.8 million.
The joint Egyptian-Omani committee convenes on a periodical basis with a view to consolidating and cementing bonds between both nations.
Over 142 Egyptian companies are operating in Oman in the fields of trade, construction, finance, securities, engineering investments, designing, tourism, insurance, education and animal resources.
In February 2017, Egypt and Oman signed three agreements for bilateral cooperation between both ministries of manpower in the areas of youth, sports and training.
In May 2017, Egyptian and Omani companies met in the Egyptian capital with the goal of promoting tow-way trade exchange, given that Omani investments make up a significant part of overall Gulf and Arab investments in Egypt.
Culturally, a host of meetings and events, primarily the Omani Cultural Days, were held in Cairo and Alexandria in 2012, while Egypt participated in Muscat International Film Festival in March 2016. (end) msh.mt