New Delhi: In a boost to the Indo-Oman bilateral relationship, the two countries have renewed two key defence pacts focusing on maritime security and military cooperation.

Oman is India’s oldest partner in the Gulf and has also been a key ally for India in the Indo-Pacific region which provides an anchor for the Persian Gulf, as well as eastern and southern Africa. In the recent past, the two countries have significantly strengthened and deepened bilateral defence and security cooperation.

The two nations had signed a maritime transport agreement in December 2019 when Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar was on a visit to the Sultanate. This was significant as it was the first such pact that India had signed with any gulf nation. The agreement enabled India to expand its footprint in the western and southern Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and East Africa.

Similarly, in 2018, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Sultanate, the two nations signed another agreement which gave Indian Navy access to facilities at Oman’s Duqm port.