Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Sultan of Oman Haitham Bin Tarik in New Delhi.
The discussions were comprehensive and constructive and covered maritime cooperation, trade and investment cooperation, and cooperation in new areas like space and financial technology. Briefing media after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said both leaders shared concerns on the problems of terrorism. They also discussed possible elements of cooperation in the field of energy security, particularly green energy.
The talks were both in restricted format and in the delegation level format and covered a wide range of areas in the bilateral cooperation. The Foreign Secretary said the talks reflected the multifaceted nature of the India-Oman bilateral relationship. He said India and Oman are partners for maritime security in the western Indian Ocean. Both sides enjoy robust and multidimensional defence engagement. Oman is also host to a large Indian diaspora. In terms of trade and commercial relationships, bilateral trade stood at 12 and a half billion dollars in 2022-23.
The Leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional and international issues. The two Leaders adopted India Oman Joint Vision Partnership For the Future. The Joint Vision envisages path for the bilateral engagement which is rooted in India’s Development Vision under Prime Minister’s Amrit Kaal vision and Oman’s Vision 2040, which is their national development blueprint. This Vision Document focuses on building partnerships in broadly 8 to 10 areas. These include maritime cooperation and connectivity, energy security, space, digital payments, health, tourism, hospitality, agriculture and food security.
Earlier ahead of the visit, both countries had also signed MoUs, including in the field of Information and Technology, culture, and combating financial crimes.
The Foreign Secretary said the Sultan’s visit is also important as it follows Oman’s successful participation as a special guest country in G20 during India’s Presidency. He added that Oman was one of the nine countries invited by India as a special guest which reflects the importance and significance attached by the government to this relationship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Oman in February 2018.
The Sultan of Oman arrived in India on a three-day State Visit on Friday.
The Sultan is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including senior Ministers and officials.
The visiting dignitary was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning. Our correspondent reports that this is the first state visit of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to India. It marks a significant milestone in the diplomatic relations between India and the Sultanate of Oman.
