Taking bilateral ties a notch higher, India and Oman have decided to jointly work in countering terrorism even as both sides agreed to establish a “collective and coordinated response” towards the expansion of terrorist propaganda, misuse of new and emerging technologies, arms and drugs trafficking, and abuse of cyberspace.
The decision was taken during a recent three-day meeting between the deputy national security advisors (NSA) of both countries. The meeting, which began on Monday, was held during the visit of Major General Idris Abdulrahman Al-Kindi, Secretary General of the National Security Council of Oman, official sources said.
He was on a visit to India on the invitation of Vikram Misri, Deputy National Security Advisor, National Security Council Secretariat, to attend the 8th India-Oman Strategic Dialogue. The last such meeting was held in Muscat in January 2020.
Al-Kindi, who came to India for the first time since his appointment as the Secretary General of the NSC of Oman, condemned in the strongest terms “all forms and manifestations of terrorism” and underscored the need to work collectively to fight this menace along with his Indian counterpart.
Sources also said that both sides reaffirmed their “commitment to the close strategic partnership between India and Oman and highlighted the high priority accorded by the leadership of both countries to further enhance their bilateral strategic ties based on trust and mutual respect.”
Al-Kindi also called on National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval during the visit.
Discussions were held on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including bilateral strategic and security cooperation, defence, and regional security. Both sides reiterated the importance of preserving maritime safety and security in the region, the sources said.
In August last year, India and Oman held a joint military drill ‘Al Najah’, in which a large contingent of the Royal Army of Oman participated. The joint military exercise focussed on counter-terrorism, regional security, and peacekeeping operations under the UN mandate.
During the meeting between Misri and Al-Kindi, both sides discussed that expansion of terrorist propaganda, misuse of new and emerging technologies, arms and drugs trafficking, and abuse of cyberspace for recruitment, fundraising and disinformation that have “serious security implications for the region and, therefore, a collective and coordinated response is essential”.
Both sides agreed to hold the next round of the strategic dialogue in Oman in 2024. Oman is a strategic partner and an important interlocutor for India at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League, and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) fora.
India is among Oman’s top trading partners. For Oman, India was the third largest (after UAE and China) source for its imports and the third largest market (after UAE and Saudi Arabia) for its non-oil exports in 2019.