Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Sultan Qaboos bin Said in this undated handout provided by the Israel Prime Minister Office, in Oman. (Reuters photo)

JERUSALEM, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid an official diplomatic visit to Oman where he met with Sultan Qaboos bin Said, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Oman is the first official meeting at this level since 1996, said the statement.

The statement said Netanyahu and his wife returned to Israel on Friday from an "official diplomatic visit" to Oman. They were invited to visit by Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, after lengthy contacts between the two countries.

A joint statement was made following Netanyahu's visit, said the PMO's statement.

"Among the issues discussed were 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," noted the joint statement.

The prime minister's visit is a "significant step" in implementing the policy outlined by Netanyahu on "deepening relations with the states of the region while leveraging Israel's advantages in security, technology and economic matters," said the PMO's statement.

Israeli other high-ranking officials including Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, National Security Adviser and National Security Council Director Meir Ben-Shabbat, Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem, the head of the Prime Minister's staff Yoav Horowitz, and the Prime Minister's Military Secretary Brig.-Gen. Avi Bluth also participated in the visit.

Israeli media called Netanyahu's visit to Oman "a secret visit" and quoted Palestinian reports as saying that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also paid a visit to Oman earlier this week.

So far, Israel and Oman do not have diplomatic relations. Netanyahu's visit was the first meeting between leaders of the two countries since 1996. Israeli former premier Yitzhak Rabin made a similar surprise visit to Oman in 1994.