Muscat: India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is currently on a two-day official visit to the Sultanate of Oman. In an interview with Oman Observer he expressed happiness over his visit to the country, which is not only beautiful but also people here are kind with. The bond between the country and its people is historical.
“This is my second visit to the Sultanate of Oman. I last visited in December 2020 in the middle of the global pandemic. It is a pleasure to see the country being fully vast yet fully organised. Credit goes to the excellent leadership and management of the Government and the resilience of the Omani people in having successfully put the pandemic behind,” he said.
The minister’s visit witnessed an agreement between Oman News Agency (ONA) and Indian news agency (ANI), to which the minister said, “This agreement will definitely help in the free flow of information and news between the two countries. Both countries have historical relationship, but sometimes we feel that real happenings are not reported. The positive side of the news should be uncoloured and unbiased, so these two agencies taking up this cause will help in understanding the other country. This will help people understand each other and enhance people to people ties.”
He added that India and the Sultanate of Oman share a friendship that can only be called ‘special’. Our relationship is rooted in centuries-old historical links and based on mutual trust and respect.
On Monday, the minister officially unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, in the Indian Embassy premises. Sculptor Naresh Kumawat is the man behind the statue. The minister also inaugurated the painting exhibition by the Indian artist Sedunath Prabakaran on ‘India and Oman, a Political Journey’ and the newly designed Library of the Embassy. The paintings depict the important State visits between the leaders of both countries.
India considers the Sultanate of Oman as its key West-Asia partner and according to the minister, strong people-to-people connections form the cornerstone of India-Oman relations.
“Oman is India’s oldest strategic partner in the region and today our relationship straddles a multitude of areas to our peoples’ collective benefit,” he said.
Economic and commercial relations between India and Oman have been robust, and both countries accord high priority to further strengthening this relationship.
The Indian minister said that the bilateral trade between India and Oman has shown strong growth, touching almost US$ 10 billion in 2021-2022, a jump of almost 90% from 2020-2021.
“There are over 6,000 India-Oman joint ventures in Oman with an estimated investment of over US$ 7.5 billion. Indian companies have emerged as leading investors in Oman, particularly in Free Zones in Suhar, Salalah, and Duqm, generating value for local industry, creating local jobs and contributing meaningfully to the strengthening of the economy of Oman.”
He added that the respective visions of India and Oman also align closely when it comes to deployment of new & renewable energy.
“Oman’s push to position itself as a leading hub of green hydrogen and green ammonia intertwines with India's National Green Hydrogen Mission. Indian companies are already active in Oman in this area and the potential to scale up this cooperation is huge,” he pointed out.
According to him, the strategic priorities identified by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik in his Vision 2040 also align closely with the known strengths of the Indian economy.
He further explained, “As Oman seeks to realize the Vision 2040, Government of Oman can count on India to be a trusted partner in all priority areas. There are significant opportunities for enhancing our cooperation in several sectors including renewable energy, defence, maritime security, minerals and mining, manufacturing, space and logistics.”
India has extended an invitation for Oman to G20 during its presidency next year.
India will hold the Presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023, culminating with the G20 Summit in India in 2023. Under its Presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G-20 meetings across the country and the G-20 Leaders' Summit at the Heads of State / Government level on September 9-10, 2023 in New Delhi.
“As a mark of our special friendship, India has extended an invitation to the Sultanate of Oman to participate in the G-20 Summit and meetings as a Special Guest. This will be an excellent opportunity for the Sultanate of Oman to participate in the premier intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies, accounting for nearly 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world population. Oman's participation in the meetings of the G-20 will also provide a significant platform to deepen further and strengthen the multifaceted cooperation between the Governments of India and Oman,” said the External Affairs Minister.
When asked about the challenges and opportunities India faces in relation to the large diaspora outside the country, the minister said that Indian diaspora worldwide is the pride of India and the diaspora population in Oman is no exception. “Oman is home to a thriving population of Indians, who live and work with their Omani brothers and sisters in harmony and contribute with their enterprise, intellect and hard work to the renewed Omani Renaissance. Oman today hosts more than 650,000 Indian expats, who work in almost all sectors of the Omani economy.
“Indian workers, doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, teachers, lecturers, nurses, and managers are known for being peace-loving, harmonious, law-abiding and hard working.
Indians living and working in the Sultanate of Oman have strengthened the flourishing relationship between the two countries, building trust and goodwill and acting as bridges of friendship. Even though the number of Indians working in Oman declined due to the pandemic related disruptions, I am happy to note that numbers have shown a rising trajectory this year,” he explained, adding that this not only indicates a strong economic recovery in Oman but also that it remains a preferred destination for Indians living and working abroad.
“We deeply appreciate the leadership and support of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik and the Government of Oman for taking very good care of the Indian Diaspora residing in Oman,” expressed the minister.
“The welfare of Indians living abroad is always a priority for my Government. During my visit, I will have opportunity to engage deeply with the eminent members of the Indian diaspora, community organizations and Indian workers to enquire about their wellbeing and seek their suggestions to better harness their contributions for India’s development,” he said in the interview with Oman Observer.
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