Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, PM Modi pledge to deepen partnership
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik emphasised the centuries-old ties of friendship between Oman and India and conveyed his best wishes
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik on Tuesday pledged to further deepen and strengthen the bilateral partnership for the benefit of the two countries.
Oman’s sultan made a telephone call to Modi to congratulate him on his reappointment as prime minister for a third term following the general elections.
“The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and strengthen India-Oman partnership for the mutual benefit of both countries,” the external affairs ministry said in a readout on the conversation.
The sultan emphasised the centuries-old ties of friendship between Oman and India and conveyed his best wishes for the progress and prosperity of the Indian people. Modi thanked him for his wishes and highlighted his visit to India in December 2023, which led to the deepening of bilateral cooperation in all areas.
Modi also extended greetings to the sultan and people of Oman for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha festival.
India and Oman concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) before the start of the country’s election process and the deal is set to be inked in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
All technical issues related to the trade deal have been settled and there was rapid progress in the discussions because of the backing of the political leadership on both sides, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said.
The proposed FTA with Oman is expected to help India’s energy security and ensure cheaper supply of fertilisers, besides boosting foreign investments, the people said. Oman will benefit from a cut in prices of Indian imports such as rice, tea, coffee, spices, dairy produce, meat, apparel, steel products and machinery, they said.
The two sides have also decided to create an Oman desk in Invest India to boost investments, along with an India desk at Invest Oman.
Bilateral merchandise trade between the two sides grew by 82.64% on an annualised basis in 2021-22 to reach $9.99 billion, commerce ministry data showed. It further rose to $12.39 billion in 2022-23.
Oman is home to nearly 675,000 Indian nationals, including 568,314 work visa holders. A total of 1,797 Indian-origin people have Omani citizenship, and some Indian families have lived in Oman for almost 200 years.
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