Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik of Oman is on a three-day state visit to India. In the morning, the Sultan of Oman was formally welcomed in the courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan. On the visit of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to India, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has given a brief account of the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sultan of Oman.
The Foreign Secretary said, “PM Modi concluded talks with the Sultan of Oman. He is on a tour of India, accompanied by the delegation of the Deputy PM, seven cabinet ministers and deputy ministers. This is the first visit of the Sultan of Oman to India in the last 26 years.”
Bilateral talks with PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Sultan of Oman. During this, bilateral talks were held between the two sides on security, defence, trade and security. The Sultan of Oman reached Delhi on Friday. This is his first Indian tour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the bilateral talks with the Sultan of Oman as a historic day. He said, ‘After 26 years, the Sultan of Oman visited India, it is a historic day for both the countries. I welcome him on behalf of all Indians.
“India’s proximity with Oman is not limited to geography, but is also reflected in trade, culture and our common priorities spanning thousands of years! We are building together a bright future on the foundation of this glorious history!,” said PM Modi during delegation-level talks with Sultan of Oman.
India-Oman Joint Vision
Both nations also adopted the ‘India-Oman Joint Vision: A Partnership for Future’ project after discussions.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations. He said, ‘Discussions took place between the two leaders in political, security, defence, trade, economy and cultural areas. The situation arising due to the Israel-Hamas war was also discussed between the two leaders.
Sultan had met External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on the first day of the visit. During this, many important issues related to both the countries were discussed. Let us tell you that this year, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan had gone on a tour to Oman. The Sultan reached India after his visit on 18-19 October.
Use of UPI between India and Oman
On the possibility of digital payments between India and Oman, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has said that discussions are going on between the two countries about using UPI. There are many elements of the Indian stack in terms of digital infrastructure that could be a good fit for Omani priorities in financial inclusion and using financial technology payment systems.
Kwatra said that another element of the discussion where we will try to move forward is the possibility of trade in rupee which could work between the two countries but this discussion is still in the initial stage.
