India–Oman relations

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India-Oman relations
Map indicating locations of India and Oman

India
Oman
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of India, MuscatEmbassy of Oman, New Delhi
Envoy
Indian Ambassador to Oman Amit NarangOmani Ambassador to India Issa Saleh Abdullah Alshibani[1]

Qaboos bin Said Al Said
at Bait Al Baraka, Muscat in 2018.

India–Oman relations are

consulate general in 1960 and later into a full-fledged embassy in 1971. The first ambassador of India arrived in Muscat in 1973.[2] Oman established its embassy in New Delhi in 1972 and a consulate general in Mumbai in 1976. India and Oman have had trade and people-to-people ties for several millennia. Oman is home to a large Indian expatriate community and for Oman, India is an important trading partner. Politically, Oman has been supportive of India's bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.[3]

History

Trade between India and Oman has a history of several millenniums and archaeological excavations in Oman have unearthed evidence to show Indo-Oman trade in the during the Classical Age dated to circa third century BCE.[4] Later, Oman had links with the Indian through Gujarat, and with Tamilakam along the Malabar Coast.

In August 1957, during one of the Lok Sabha debates, the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, replying to a question asked on British Armed Forces interference in Oman said, "We have received indirectly a message purporting to come from some representatives of the Imam of Oman. The Government of India have viewed with concern the news of the military action which has taken place in Oman...have expressed to the United Kingdom Government the concern and conveyed to them public feelings in India, in regard to this action."[5]

The Sultanate of Oman had sovereignty over the Gwadar Port in present day Pakistan till 1958 when in September of that year, Pakistan paid £3 million (some say half that sum) to buy the enclave, ending over 200 years of Omani control, before which it was a part of erstwhile India.[6][7]

Expatriate community

million to India.[8] India is a major destination for Omani students pursuing higher studies and in recent years there have been increasing numbers of medical tourists coming into the country from Oman.[9][10][11] Oman has also been trying to promote itself as a tourist destination in India.[12] The Sultanate of Oman has recorded over 200% growth in Indian tourists arrivals with 355,459 travellers visited the country in 2022, compared to 106,042 travellers in 2021, making India the second highest source market for Oman when the country witnessed a massive 348 percent jump in tourists in 2022 compared to 2021.[13][14]

Economic relations

In 2010, bilateral trade between India and Oman stood at $4.5 billion. India was Oman's second largest destination for its non-oil exports and its fourth largest source for imports. Indian and Omani firms have undertaken joint ventures in a wide range of sectors including fertilisers, pharmaceuticals, energy and engineering.

Oman Oil Company.[16][17]

Gas pipeline

India has been considering the construction of a 1,100-km-long underwater

Iran–Pakistan–India pipeline. The project has been slow in materialising although it was first mooted in 1985.[18][19][20][21]

Defence co-operation

Indian Adm. Robin Dhowan receiving Omani Rear Admiral Abdullah Bin Khasim Bin Abdullah Al Raisi at South Block, New Delhi; 7 September 2015

Oman is the first

Mascat naval base.[32][33] Indian Navy’s indigenously designed and constructed guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam arrived at Port Sultan Qaboos, Muscat on 30 July 2023 for a three-day port call, during which various naval cooperation events, such as students visiting INS Visakhapatnam, musical band performances by Indian Navy and sporting and cultural programmes marked the interaction between Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Oman, which culminated with a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) on 3 August 2023.[34]

Naseem al-Bahr

Naseem al-Bahr (Arabic word for Sea Breeze) is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Oman. The exercise was first held in 1993.[35] The Last exercise was conducted from 19 to 24 November 2022 off coast of Oman and had three phases: harbour phase, sea phase and debrief. Year 2022 marked 30 years of IN-RNO bilateral exercises.[36] The next edition of Naseem al-Bahr is scheduled in 2024.

Duqm

In February 2018, India announced that it had secured access to the

facilities at Duqm for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.[37][38] Duqm had previously served as a port for the INS Mumbai.[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Oman | H E Issa Saleh Abdullah Saleh Al Shibani presents credentials to President of India". 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  2. ^ "The Embassy in Muscat". Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Oman hails UNSC seat for India". The Hindu. October 20, 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Potsherd with Tamil-Brahmi script found in Oman". The Hindu. October 28, 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  5. ^ https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/1716/1/lsd_02_02_17-08-1957.pdf page 25
  6. ^ "Purchase of Gwadar". 18 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Gwadar port: 'history-making milestones'". 14 April 2008.
  8. ^ "PM's speech at the Indian Community Reception in Oman". Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Udupi: Omani Students Celebrate National Day at Manipal Varsity". Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  10. ^ "48 Omani students graduate in Pune". Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  11. ^ "Omanis opting for India as medical tourism destination". Economic Times. July 18, 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  12. ^ Staff Writer; Observer, Oman Daily. "Over 160,000 Indian tourists visit Oman this year". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  13. ^ Staff Writer; Oman, Times of. "Over 235% jump in Indian tourists arrivals to Oman". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  14. ^ Times of, Oman. "348% jump in tourists to Oman". Times of Oman. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  15. ^ "Big jump in India-Oman bilateral trade". The Hindu Businessline. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  16. ^ "India gives Oman nod to hike gas price for fertiliser plant". The Hindu. April 28, 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Oman Oil refuses to raise stake in Bina refinery JV". Business Standard. January 29, 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  18. ^ "IOC seeks nod to join deep sea gas pipeline project of SAGE". The Hindu. June 19, 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  19. ^ "India considering deepwater gas pipeline from Oman: Report". Economic Times. September 20, 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  20. ^ "The Oman-India Gas Pipeline Project: Need to Resurrect Again". Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  21. ^ "Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah: India, Iran and Oman go under sea to build pipelines, change geopolitics | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. March 2014.
  22. ^ Bruno de Paiva (2011-05-23). "Uganda and Burundi to Fight Islamists with US Drones". Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 2013-09-14. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  23. ^ India set to drop anchor off China Archived 2011-08-27 at the Wayback Machine. Deccan Chronicle (26 June 2011). Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Second India-Oman joint air exercises end". The Hindu. October 22, 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  25. ^ "India, Oman conduct first joint air exercise". The Hindu. October 31, 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  26. ^ "India, Oman still studying undersea pipeline". The Hindu. October 30, 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  27. ^ "India to bag Oman-Yemen border fencing contract".
  28. Indian Express
    , 18 July 2007.
  29. ^ "Indian Listening Station In Oman Monitoring Pakistan’s Naval Communications.", CloseWar.Com.
  30. ^ ".", World Politics Review, 7 January 2015.
  31. ^ "India's string of flowers:India obtains two strategically significant toeholds in the Indian Ocean.", India Today, 27 March 2015.
  32. ^ Overseas Military Bases of Indian Archived 2017-07-31 at the Wayback Machine, Defence News.
  33. The Tribune
    , 20 March 2015.
  34. ^ Times of, Oman. "India, Oman naval diplomacy sets sail amid sporting and cultural programmes". Times of Oman. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  35. ^ "Maritime cooperation: India and Oman conduct bilateral naval exercise 'Naseem Al Bahr'". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  36. ^ "Naseem Al Bahr 2022". Drishti IAS. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  37. Jane's Information Group
    . The MOU allows IN vessels to use the facilities at Duqm Port during visits "in terms of services and the use of the dry dock for maintenance", according to the report, which was published during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the sultanate.
  38. ^
    Indian Express
    .

External links

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