Historical and strategic significance of India- Oman relationship
Oman is a crucial pillar of India’s West Asia policy.
Their multi-faceted engagement increasingly taking on a more strategic shape in recent decades.
The India-Oman strategic partnership was signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Oman in November 2008 and is based on twin pillars of mutual trust and shared interests.
Oman was one of the few countries to have been invited by India to its G-20 presidency as a guest nation earlier this year.
Defence and security engagement form a key pillar of this strategic partnership and are governed by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2005.
Oman is the first Gulf country with which all the three wings of India’s defence forces hold joint exercises.
Since 2012-13, an Indian naval ship has remained on duty in the Gulf of Oman for anti-piracy operations.
In recent years, both countries have cooperated in ensuring maritime security in the IOR.
During the Persian Gulf crisis in June 2019, the Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Sankalp’ to ensure the safe passage of Indian flagged ships which most often operated off the coast of Oman.
The MoU on Duqm Port during Mr. Modi’s visit is a historic landmark in our security cooperation, providing basing facilities, Operational Turn Round and other logistics facilities to Indian naval ships operating in the region.
Bilateral trade during FY2022-23 reached $12.388 billion.
There are over 6,000 India-Oman joint ventures in Oman, investment of over $7.5 billion.
India was the second largest market for Oman’s crude oil exports for the year 2022 after China.
In October 2022, India and Oman launched the Rupay debit card in Oman, promoting digital public infrastructure (DPI) in the world.
India’s gateway to West Asia
The list of convergence and shared interests is thus long and limitless.
As a part of its broader global outlook and its outreach in the extended neighbourhood, India is seeking deeper engagement and collaboration in West Asia, of which Oman is an important pillar.
Apart from being India’s oldest strategic partner in the region and closest neighbour, Oman is an integral part of all important groupings in the region; the GCC, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League.
Its ability to manage rival ideologies and power games in the region makes it vitally important to India.
Both countries consider themselves as ambassadors of peace and enjoy goodwill across ideologies in the world.
India’s gateway to West Asia.
The visit of Oman’s Sultan is timely and very important for India and the region.
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