Recollecting Major Moments From Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s India Trip

Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman has just concluded a successful official trip to India, accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior ministers and officials. It marked the Sultan’s first trip to India and the first by any Omani Sultan in more than two decades.

In a press statement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi noted that the Sultan’s trip represents a joint commitment to bolster cooperation that stems from the long-standing foundations of friendship, cultural and economic exchange.

India-Oman Joint Vision: A Partnership for Future

Not only do bilateral relations between Oman and India go back hundreds of years, more than 700,000 Indians currently live and work in the Gulf state today. The oldest Hindu temple in the Gulf region is also to be found in Oman.

Certain moments stand out from the Sultan’s trip, including the adoption of the “India-Oman Joint Vision: A Partnership for Future”. It is a roadmap for bilateral engagement in the future, based on Oman Vision 2040 and India’s vision of “Amrit Kaal” in 2047.

The document focuses on building partnership in a host of areas, including energy security and green energy, disaster management, digital payments, maritime cooperation and connectivity, agriculture and food security, and cricket.

The Sultan’s official trip saw a slew of agreements getting signed, including one between Oman’s National Centre for Financial Information and India’s Financial Intelligence Unit to enhance collaboration in exchanging intelligence related to different types of offences.

Bilateral Trade and Tri-service Military Exercises

Oman and India have also been recording an uptick in bilateral trade, an entity that has more than doubled from $5.4 billion in 2020-21 to $12.39 billion in 2022-23, made more significant by the fact that these are post-COVID figures.

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Oman is India’s closest defence partner in the Gulf. Tri-service military exercises are conducted by both countries regularly. Omani military personnel receive training in India, and since 2018, the GCC nation has given India access to its port for military and logistical use.