Kazakhstan Seeks Oman’s Support for UN Water Initiative

Water has moved onto the diplomatic agenda. Kazakhstan has asked Oman to support the President’s initiative to establish an international water organization under the auspices of the United Nations. The two sides also discussed upcoming official visits and expansion of the bilateral legal framework, DKNews.kz reports.

Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Aidarbek Tumatov, met with Oman’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalifa Al-Harithi. The talks focused on priority areas of Kazakh-Omani cooperation and joint steps for the coming period.

Astana awaits Muscat’s response on the water initiative

One of the most specific issues raised at the meeting concerned Kazakhstan’s initiative at the United Nations.

Aidarbek Tumatov asked about the outcome of Oman’s consideration of Kazakhstan’s request to support the President of Kazakhstan’s proposal to establish an international water organization under the auspices of the UN.

The statement did not specify Oman’s final position on the request. It would therefore be premature to say that Muscat has formally backed the initiative.

Kazakhstan has previously promoted the proposal at international platforms. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan reported, the initiative envisages discussing the consolidation of existing international mechanisms in the field of water resources within the UN system.

For Kazakhstan, the issue has a clear foreign-policy dimension: the country is seeking international support for the initiative, while the talks in Muscat show that this effort is also being pursued through bilateral diplomatic channels.

Kazakhstan and Oman discuss new official visits

A separate part of the talks focused on political contacts.

The two sides discussed the organization of official visits, which are expected to give additional momentum to Kazakh-Omani relations.

No specific dates, delegation levels or programs for possible visits were disclosed.

The subject has been raised before. In March 2026, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reaffirmed his invitation to Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said to pay a state visit to Kazakhstan, while the Omani leader said he accepted the invitation. DKNews.kz previously reported on the talks.

The two countries want to expand their legal framework

Another practical issue on the agenda was the preparation of bilateral documents.

Kazakhstan and Oman agreed on the need to continue work on drafting and concluding agreements that reflect current needs and promising areas of cooperation.

The statement did not specify which documents are currently being prepared.

The bilateral legal framework has featured in previous talks between the two countries. In February 2025, the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan and Oman signed a roadmap for cooperation between their ministries, outlining areas for further engagement. DKNews.kz reported on that agreement earlier.

Oman briefed on the August 23 election

At the end of the meeting, Sheikh Khalifa Al-Harithi was informed about the upcoming election of deputies to Kazakhstan’s Kurultai.

The vote is scheduled for August 23, 2026. The Kazakh side described it as one of the country’s most significant political events of the year.

The talks in Muscat ultimately brought three practical areas into focus: future political contacts, expansion of the bilateral legal framework and Kazakhstan’s search for international support for its water initiative.

We previously wrote about Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s talks with Oman’s leadership and the prospects for joint projects between the two countries. At the time, the two sides also highlighted the potential for broader bilateral cooperation.