India-Oman Ministers meet and discuss mutual ties

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, June 04, 2014: In her first bilateral official meet, Sushma Swaraj, new Minister of External Affairs in PM Modi’s cabinet on June 3 held talks with her Omani counterpart Yusuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah.

Besides reviewing the bilateral relations, the two foreign ministers are understood to have also discussed the Oman-Iran-India deep sea gas pipeline project for transporting fuel from West Asia to the Indian shore.

  Yusuf Bin Alawi, invited Sushma to visit Oman, which the minister has agreed to. The dates would be finalised later through diplomatic channels, official sources said.

Earlier, in the course of  his meeting with the Prime Minister Modi, Al Alawi conveyed greetings from the Sultan of Oman and Modi in turn thanked the Sultan for extending care for the well being of 700,000 Indians living in the Sultanate of Oman. Modi said he looked forward to further strengthening the historic bilateral ties.

The two foreign ministers also discussed enhancing project exports from India to Oman. In 2013, Indian companies executed contracts worth $1.25 billion in Oman. Both Sushma and Alwi Abdullah felt the trend should continue. It was also agreed to convene the India-Oman Joint Commission at an early date this year so as to provide further bridges to the growing economic and commercial relations.

Oman is the only Gulf nation with which India conducts regular military exercises, which signifies the  close ties between the two friendly countries.