Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Omani counterpart Sultan Haitham bin Tarik on Saturday, sealed a document, setting the stage for bilateral cooperation and charting pathways for future collaboration between the two countries.
In a press conference after discussions between the Indian and Omani leadership on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra hinted at the possibility of digital payments between both countries.
The Sultan of Oman arrived in Delhi on a state visit on Friday – his first trip to India as the top leader of the influential Gulf nation.
PM Modi and the Sultanate of Oman, in a bid to expand bilateral cooperation in around 10 key areas, pushed for concluding a trade pact as early as possible during their “productive” talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. The two sides also took up discussions on the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict and the challenge of terrorism, as well as the larger need to try and achieve a two-state solution to the Palestine issue as a way forward.
“The leaders reviewed bilateral relationships covering the areas of political, security, defence, trade, economic, cultural and people-to-people ties. They also exchanged perspectives on regional and international issues,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson stated on X.
List of agreements signed between Oman and India
- A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Culture and the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in the field of culture.
- MoU between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) and the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology (MTCIT) of the Sultanate of Oman in the field of Information Technology.
- Agreement concerning the Gainful Employment of Accompanying Persons of Official Employees
- MoU between the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and Oman’s National Centre for Financial Information (NCFI) on cooperation in the exchange of intelligence related to money laundering, associated predicate offences and terrorism financing.
- MoU between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Oman’s Dhofar University on the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies- Hindi Language.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra described the discussions between PM Modi and the visiting leader as “comprehensive and constructive”.
Kwatra said, “Ongoing discussions between the two countries for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Although the negotiations on CEPA have started only recently, they have made substantial progress in the last few rounds of discussion and both leaders gave strong impetus and push to conclude the CEPA agreement as early as possible…”
On cross-border digitised transactions, Kwatra said, “There are ongoing discussions between the two countries about utilising the UPI stack. The interface of the UPI with a corresponding Oman platform is something we can talk about. Another element of discussion where we would try to move forward, there is a possibility of Rupee trade which can work between the two countries but this is still at the exploratory stage…”
Ananya Das is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. Based on a keen understanding of digital culture, Sophie navigates the ever-evolving landscape of trending topics. With an insightful and engaging approach, she explores what’s buzzing across social media platforms, ensuring readers stay in the loop with the most talked-about and shareable content online.
