India, Oman renew key defence pacts as New Delhi seeks to play wider role in region

The pacts were for military cooperation and maritime security, according to an official statement.

Oman is a key partner for India in the Indo-Pacific region which provides an anchor for the Persian Gulf as well as eastern and southern Africa, persons familiar with the issue told ET.

India and Oman had developed a defence partnership under the late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said Al Said. In December 2019, the two nations signed a maritime transport agreement during Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar’s visit to the sultanate. The pact–the first with any Gulf country–enables India to expand its footprint in the western and southern Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and East Africa as part of its Indo-Pacific vision, according to one of the persons cited earlier.

A pact signed between the two nations in 2018 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Muscat visit gives the Indian Navy access to facilities at Duqm port in Oman and a foothold in its extended neighbourhood.

The port will act as India’s entry point for wider West Asia and Eastern Africa, a welcome development at a time when China has deployed strategic assets in the Indian Ocean region, said one of the persons cited earlier.

India’s interest in Duqm port, which is a 40 minutes’ flight from Mumbai, has been necessitated by the fact that the Chinese navy has increased its activities in the western part of the Indian Ocean region besides setting up a military base in Djibouti.

The Port of Duqm SEZ, which is earmarked to be the Indian Ocean’s largest deep-sea port, is where an Indo-Oman joint venture, Sebacic Oman, is undertaking a $1.2 billion project to set up the largest sebacic acid plant in the Middle-East.

Among eight agreements that were signed on during Modi’s 2018 Muscat visit was one between the defence ministries of the two countries on the provision of facilities for the visit of Indian military vessels to Duqm port in terms of services and the use of the dry-dock for maintenance. Another MoU was signed between India’s Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and Oman’s National Defense College.

An Indo-Omani joint statement issued at the end of Modi’s visit reflected growing maritime cooperation. “The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation to strengthen maritime security in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean regions, vital for the security and prosperity of both countries,” it said.

Oman is India’s oldest defence partner in West Asia and an ally in its anti-piracy campaign. India had supplied rifles to Oman, which in turn had sent support for India’s fleet of Hawk aircraft. During Manohar Parrikar’s visit to Muscat as defence minister, the two countries had agreed to work together on boosting defence, crime prevention at sea, maritime issues and a flight safety information exchange.

India is also considering setting up defence production facilities in Oman. The Arab country has given berthing rights to Indian Navy vessels, which have been used for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. In addition, Indian Air Force has been holding joint exercises with its counterpart in Oman.