MUSCAT : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Oman next week as part of a three-nation tour that includes Jordan and Ethiopia, in a move aimed at strengthening economic, defence and strategic cooperation with one of India’s oldest partners in the Gulf, officials familiar with the planning has confirmed to The Arabian Stories.
Modi is expected in Muscat on December 17–18, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of India–Oman diplomatic ties. The visit follows intensified negotiations on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which both sides hope to advance during the trip.
India and Oman have been expanding cooperation across energy, maritime security, defence industrial partnerships and technology. New Delhi sees Muscat as a key anchor in its West Asia policy, while Oman has sought greater Indian investment in logistics, petrochemicals, manufacturing and renewable energy.
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Diplomatic sources said discussions are likely to focus on trade facilitation, joint industrial projects, and investment in ports and special economic zones, alongside security dialogue amid heightened tensions in the wider Middle East.
Meanwhile speaking to IANS, on Modi’s upcoming visit, Oman Ambassador to India His Excellency Issa Saleh Abdullah Saleh Alshibani said, “It’s very important, very strategic. It also serves so much of the purpose of our event today. It gives a strong signal to businesses about the depth and strong relationship that Oman and India enjoy, and it will also boost the confidence of businesses in terms of looking at Oman as a destination”
Modi last visited Oman in 2018, while His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik made a state visit to India in 2023, signalling a steady strengthening of high-level engagement. More than 700,000 Indians live and work in the Sultanate, forming one of the largest expatriate communities in the country.
If concluded, the economic agreements being negotiated are expected to expand bilateral trade, currently valued at over USD 12 billion annually, and diversify cooperation beyond hydrocarbons.
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