A time-honoured connect that will help bridge the Gulf

Geopolitical Significance

• Oman, India's closest neighbour in the Arabian Gulf, holds pivotal strategic importance due to its geographic location.
• Along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman completes the trio of key strategic partners of India in the Gulf region.

Strong Connection with India

• The ruling family of Oman has always had a strong connection with India.
• Sultan Qaboos was always favourably disposed towards India.
• He invited Indian companies and professionals to undertake projects apart from sourcing supplies from India.
• At the people-to-people level too, India and Oman enjoy close ties.
  • There is a large Indian community of almost seven lakh people which has contributed to the constantly evolving vibrant relations.
• During the Cold War era, and even thereafter, it was Oman which kept its doors open to India.

India-Oman Strategic Partnership

• It was signed during former PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to Oman in November 2008 and is based on twin pillars of mutual trust and shared interests.

Key pillars

Defence and Security

• It forms a key pillar of this strategic partnership and is 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.
• During the Persian Gulf crisis in June 2019, the Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Sankalp’.
  • Objective: To ensure the safe passage of Indian flagged ships which most often operated off the coast of Oman.
• The MoU on Duqm Port is a historic landmark in our security cooperation, providing basing facilities for Indian naval ships, enhancing operational capabilities.

Trade and Commerce

• Bilateral trade during FY2022-23 reached $12.388 billion.
• There are over 6,000 India-Oman joint ventures in Oman, with an estimated 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.

Prospects for Future Collaboration

• India and Oman are looking forward to increased engagement in strategic areas such as space cooperation with an MoU signed during the Indian PM’s visit.
• The possibility of an agreement on joint exploration of rare earth metals, vital to modern electronic equipment, could add strength to the partnership.
• The proposed India-Middle East-Europe Connectivity Corridor (IMEEC) and a potential undersea gas pipeline from Oman to India offer avenues for future collaboration.

India’s Gateway to West Asia

• India is seeking deeper engagement and collaboration in West Asia, of which Oman is an important pillar.
  • As a part of its broader global outlook and its outreach in the extended neighbourhood.
• Security challenges in the region have a ripple effect in India.
• Therefore, any instability in the region has a direct bearing on the
  • Safety and security of the Indian diaspora
  • India’s energy security
  • Steadily growing trade relations
• Oman is also an integral part of all important groupings in the region viz. 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.