Anil Trigunayat
Trade and economic cooperation have been the fulcrum of the relationship, with bilateral trade already exceeding $10 billion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the Sultanate of Oman at the invitation of HM Sultan Haitham bin Tarik from December 17-18. This is his second visit in the last decade.
Oman is an old and favoured maritime partner and port of Indian traders from ancient times and was connected to the commencement of the Silk Route, or the Gold Road as referred to by William Dalrymple. Although currently over 700,000 Indian workers and entrepreneurs are contributing to the growth and development of the Sultanate, many of them have been here for centuries and have even been naturalised. They have become a strong bridge between the two peoples and countries.
The depth of people-to-people connections and mutual respect can be seen in a popular legend in Oman. When the former President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma was visiting Muscat, the late Sultan himself decided to drive him because he had been his professor, which was also a special message to the people of both countries.
Oman also follows a foreign policy driven by sanity, mutual understanding and a certain neutrality, which is quite synergetic with that of India, which also follows strategic autonomy with multiple alignments. Both work together for dialogue, diplomacy and peace. In a volatile West Asian region, Oman has played cupid during many regional power conflicts, especially between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023, and even during the blockade of Qatar by their Arab brothers in 2017.
Regional peace and security are important for Oman as well as for India, for whom West Asia is not only an extended neighbourhood but also has certain existential connections, given the synergies in energy, expatriates and the economy, as well as ease of navigation, for which regional stability is absolutely imperative. Oman is India’s oldest partner in the Gulf. Hence, the visit of PM Modi acquires renewed significance, allowing two unique and trusted partners to discuss various regional issues and challenges while exploring ways to further enrich the bilateral matrix of cooperation.
A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that India and Oman share an all-encompassing Strategic Partnership underpinned by centuries-old bonds of friendship, trade linkages and strong people-to-people ties. The visit will mark 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows the State Visit of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman to India in December 2023.
This visit will be an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review the bilateral partnership, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture, as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. Earlier this month, the 14th round of the India-Oman Strategic Consultative Group (IOSCG) meeting was held on December 4, 2025, in Muscat at the level of Vice Ministers, to take stock of the state of relations and various initiatives and to work out the deliverables for the Prime Minister’s visit.
Oman is an important maritime partner in the Indian Ocean as well as the Arabian Sea and figures prominently in India’s Indo-Pacific strategy in the North-West Indian Ocean region. India and Oman have signed an agreement for working jointly at the Duqm Port of Oman, and significant progress has been reported.
Likewise, the strategic choke point of the Strait of Hormuz is crucial for trade routes and maritime connectivity, where bilateral cooperation with Oman is an important link. Both India and Oman have close relations with Iran, which is critical for these choke points, as was evident during the Houthis’ disruption of maritime routes and threats to commercial shipping. Both countries have been integral parts of IORA and IONS. The last Indian Ocean Conference was held in Muscat, focusing on sustainable maritime cooperation.
Trade and economic cooperation have been the fulcrum of the relationship, with bilateral trade already exceeding $10 billion. Indian investments have also been growing. In fact, the first joint venture, the India-Oman Fertiliser Company, was set up in Salalah in the 1990s and has become a model of mutually beneficial cooperation. There are many major Indian companies working in the infrastructure sector, and significant investments have been deployed across manufacturing, logistics, ICT and technological collaboration. However, the Iran-Oman-India pipeline project has remained on the drawing board and needs to be explored seriously, as unilateralism in international discourse is beginning to threaten normal trading relationships and supply chains.
After signing the CEPA with the UAE in 2022, New Delhi has been working on free trade agreements with major partners in West Asia. The FTA with Oman is likely to materialise during the visit, which will enable favourable market access for Indian companies in several markets with which Oman has special arrangements. Likewise, Omani enterprises will benefit from preferential access to the vast and growing Indian market and its opportunities.
Hydrocarbons and energy security have also remained a mainstay of bilateral cooperation, and Oman has been a reliable energy partner for India, becoming an important player in both energy and food security. Like all other regional countries, Oman as well as India are diversifying their energy baskets; hence, new opportunities are being explored in green hydrogen, ammonia and solar energy, in which India has developed several credible landmarks. Some time back, an India-Oman Joint Investment Fund was set up to promote investments in mutually beneficial sectors.
As strategic partners, collaboration in newer technologies, including space, fintech and cyber security, becomes a natural domain for cooperation, and a predictable roadmap may emerge.
Defence and security have always been a key collaborative matrix between the two countries, with joint exercises, goodwill port calls by the Indian Navy and the supply of defence material. Since India still operates Jaguar aircraft and Oman has stopped using them but has stocks of spare parts available, these are likely to be procured by India.
While both leaders will review achievements against the goals set in their agreed roadmap, several new MoUs and agreements are expected to be signed to take the strategic partnership to the next orbit. Convergences and congruences in the regional approach will make the collaboration more robust and resilient, contributing to durable peace and stability.
Anil Trigunayat, is a former Indian Ambassador to Jordan, Libya and Malta, and currently heads the West Asia Experts Group at Vivekananda International Foundation.
The article was first published in Firstpost as PM Modi in Oman: A timeless maritime partnership enters a new strategic phase on December 17, 2025.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
Read more at IMPRI:
Khula and the Law: Reclaiming Muslim Women’s Right to Unilateral Divorce
DigiYatra (2022) – Transforming India’s Airport Experience with Biometric Boarding
Acknowledgment: This article was posted by Swati, a research intern at IMPRI.
