MoS Muraleedharan arrives in Muscat to boost India-Oman bilateral ties
Oct 03, 2022
Muscat [Oman], October 3 : Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan arrived in the capital city of Oman, Muscat on Monday for a two-day visit to deepen ties between both the countries.
"Arrived in Muscat for a 2-day visit to Oman to deepen the political engagement between both the countries. Look forward to discussions with Omani leadership and interaction with the diverse cross-section of our diaspora," the Union Minister said in a tweet.
As per a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, the Union Minister will be in Oman from October 3-4. This will be his second visit to Oman and a part of the periodic exchange of high-level visits to reinforce the shared commitment to an "ever-growing" relationship between both the countries.
Muraleedharan, during his visit, will meet the Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, and other senior dignitaries and engage in discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
He will participate in a community reception and interact with a wide cross-section of the Indian community in Oman, particularly those in the health, education, business, and social service sectors, as per the statement.
As per the Embassy of India in Oman, there are about 624,000 Indians in Oman, of which about 4,83,901 are workers and professionals, as of May 2021. There are Indian families living in Oman for more than 150-200 years. Moreover, the two countries hold strong economic, commercial and cultural ties.
The Union Minister last visited Oman on 15-17 December 2020.
In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Oman, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Oman in 2019.
In recent months, Foreign Minister of Oman Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi visited India in March 2022, and Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion visited India in May 2022.
India and Oman share warm and friendly relations underpinned by historical and cultural linkages and strong people-to-people ties.
As per the MEA statement, the visit will provide an opportunity to comprehensively review the state of bilateral relations between India and Oman and to chart pathways to further deepen and strengthen it.
