India and Oman Sign Defence Collaboration Agreement

India and Oman have signed a defence agreement during a meeting of the India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) in Muscat recently. The agreement provides a framework for collaboration in new areas of defence engagement including procurement of military equipment. The two sides carried out a comprehensive review of their defence cooperation and explored ways to enhance it based on their shared strategic interests. They focused specifically on possible collaboration in the defence industrial sector at the meeting. The Indian delegation was led by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane. The overall situation in West Asia, including security concerns from targeting of cargo vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi militants, was also discussed. Both sides reviewed and appreciated the robust defence cooperation between the two countries.

New Areas of Cooperation

The meeting identified new areas of cooperation such as training, joint exercises, information sharing, oceanography, ship building and MRO facilities. These initiatives will build mutual trust and interoperability between the militaries. The two sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of shared interest. They discussed effective and practical initiatives to further strengthen bilateral defence engagements, with a focus on defence industry collaboration.

Memorandum of Understanding

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed provides a framework for defence collaboration in new areas. This comes over a month after India and Oman unveiled a joint vision document titled ‘A Partnership for the Future’ during Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik’s visit to India in December.

Bilateral Talks

In Muscat, Aramane also held bilateral talks with Oman’s Defence Ministry’s Secretary General Mohammed Bin Naseer Bin Ali Al Zaabi. Aramane highlighted the potential of India’s domestic defence industry in terms of capacity and capability. He looked forward to a fruitful partnership with Oman’s armed forces. The Omani side expressed confidence in the capability of the Indian defence industry and was invited to visit India to witness the defence industrial capability, especially in the aerospace and maritime sectors.

Strategic Defence Partners

Oman is one of India’s closest defence partners in the Gulf region. Defence cooperation has become a key pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries. They are committed to working together under the vision of strategic partnership.

Category: Defence Current Affairs