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Pranab for elevating India-Oman relations to “strategic” level

— Photo: PTI

DEEPENING TIES: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd Bin Mahmood al-Said in Muscat on Sunday.

MUSCAT: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has advocated elevating India-Oman ties to a “strategic” level.

Mr. Mukherjee said this during his meeting with Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood Al Said.

Both sides expressed a shared concern for enhancing security and stability in the region. They identified information technology, telecommunications, oil and gas as key areas for deepening ties.

India is looking for Omani participation in the development of infrastructure and petrochemicals. Mr. Mukherjee also held talks with his Omani counterpart Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah.

The Minister said the Persian Gulf area was of “critical importance” to India. The two leaders also discussed the road map for adding strategic content to the |India-Oman relationship.

As part of India’s move to give a fresh direction to ties with countries in West Asia, Mr. Mukherjee on Sunday began a two-day brainstorming session with 21 Ambassadors posted in the region.

Mr. Mukherjee began the closed-door session with opening remarks where he outlined New Delhi’s priorities in the region, a diplomatic source told The Hindu on condition of anonymity.

Some of the envoys then made separate presentations on 11 specific subjects.

These included the West Asia peace process and developments related to Palestinian territories, where tensions between rival factions Fatah and Hamas have been growing.

Other issues that were on the agenda included Iran, the resurgence of Islam in the region, the situation in Somalia and the crisis in Darfur.

Mr. Mukherjee was also briefed about the scope for enhancing cooperation with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates constitute the GCC. The GCC is India’s single most important source of energy. Ambassador to Oman, Anil Wadhwa, earlier pointed out that trade between India and the countries comprising West Asia and North Africa had risen to $34 billion.

Community issues relating to the welfare of millions of expatriate workers residing in the Gulf countries have emerged as a focal area during the two-day session. While their remittances have contributed significantly to India’s economic resurgence, there have been growing concerns about their living and working conditions in the host countries.

On the economic side, the scope for opening new Indian banks, expansion of civil aviation links, and advancing tie-ups in the fields of science and technology, education and defence have also come up for discussions.

Mr. Mukherjee jointly inaugurated with his Omani counterpart, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, a new chancery complex inside the Indian embassy.

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