Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited the gulf state of Oman, in what is believed to be the first meeting of its kind for over two decades.

Mr Netanyahu and his wife Sarah met Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the monarch of the Muslim country, on Friday, with the Prime Minister’s office saying that the Sultan had extended the invitation “after lengthy contacts between the two countries.”

Topics discussed included “ways to advance the peace process in the Middle East, as well as several matters of joint interest regarding the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East,” a joint statement said.

The meeting was also reported by Oman's state television.

Although Oman has never officially recognised Israel, the two countries established economic ties between 1993 and 1996 after the Oslo Accords, with Yitzchak Rabin visiting the country in 1994, followed by Shimon Peres in 1996.

Mr Netanyahu’s office described his visit as “a significant step in implementing the policy… on deepening relations with the states of the region while leveraging Israel's advantages in security, technology and economic matters.”