Oman India Relations

In recognition of the growing strategic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of India, and at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of Oman, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, paid a State visit to the Sultanate of Oman from 11-12 February 2018

In 2020, long time ruler of Oman and one of the architects of close India-Oman bilateral relations, HM Sultan Qaboos passed away. Government of India announced national mourning for one day on 13 January 2020 in his honour. HM Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik was appointed the Sultan of Oman on 11 January 2020

India is among Oman’s top trading partners. For Oman, India was the 3^rd largest (after UAE and China) source for its imports and 3^rd largest market (after UAE and Saudi Arabia) for its non-oil exports in 2018. During 2020-21, bilateral trade was $5.44 bn. Major items of Indian exports are mineral fuels and products of their distillation, textiles, machinery, electrical items, chemicals, iron and steel, tea, coffee, spices, rice and meat products and seafood. Among major Indian imports are: urea, LNG, polypropylene, lubricating oil, dates and chromite ore

Bilateral Investment flows, have been robust, as reflected in numerous joint ventures, established both in India and Oman. According to Oman’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, there are over 4,100 Indian enterprises and establishments in Oman with an estimated investment of $7.5 bn. Oman-India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF) is a 50-50 Joint Venture between State Bank of India and State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) of Oman, the main sovereign wealth fund of Oman

Between April 2000 and March 2021, India received $549.53 mn in FDI from Oman. The key sectors were Oil and Gas, Financial Services, Construction, Hotels, Healthcare and Retail.

There are about 7,00,000 Indians in Oman, of which about 5,67,000 are workers and professionals (June 2020). Many Indian families have been living in Oman for more than 150-200 years and it is estimated that a total 2911 Indian origin people have received Omani citizenship. Thousands of Indians are working as doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, teachers, lecturers, nurses, managers, etc. There are 21 Indian schools offering CBSE curriculum, catering to the educational needs of more than 45,000 Indian students.

India and Oman signed an MoU on Cultural cooperation in July 2010, which is automatically renewed every five years. The first ever ‘Festival of India in Oman’, organized by the Embassy of India with the support of Ministry of Culture of India during November 2016-March 2017, was inaugurated by Oman’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Yoga is quite popular in Oman especially among expatriates and local youth. The number of participants in celebration of International Day of Yoga has increased from around 3,000 persons in 2016 to 6000 in 2019. International Day of Yoga 2019 was also celebrated in other cities of Oman including Sur, Suhar, Nizwa and Salalah.