After Iran's Chabahar, now Oman's Duqm port also handed to India for Maintaining Purpose

 After Iran's Chabahar, now Oman's Duqm port also handed to India for Maintaining Purpose

Oman's Duqm Port has become a key part of India's attempts to prevent China from enlarging its 'string of pearls.'

Oman's top defence official Mohammed Nasser Al Zaabi is on a four-day visit to India.He is co-chairing the 10th meeting of the Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMMC) with Ajay Kumar, the Defence Secretary of India, The Hindu reported.

He also met India's defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, 1 February, after which the defence ministry issued a statement regarding new avenues of cooperation.

"During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the progress made in military-to-military engagements, including joint exercises, industry cooperation and various ongoing infrastructure projects. It was decided to identify new avenues and examine areas of mutual interest for joint venture in order to enhance defence industry cooperation."

Defence Ministry, India

The ninth edition of the JMMC was held in Oman three years ago, and the current one consists of high-ranking naval and air force chiefs from both countries.

Indo-Omani relations have been extremely tight. In fact, Oman is India's closest gulf partner.

The two countries in 2018 came to an agreement that gave India access to the strategically important Port of Duqm for military use and logistical support.

It is important because it will allow India to step up its game against China, a country with which it is competing for influence in the Indian Ocean.

In this explainer, we look at India-Oman relations in the past few years and try to understand the significance of Duqm in the context of Chinese expansionism.

INDIA-OMAN RELATIONS

India's ties with Oman go way back to 1955 when an Indian consulate was opened in Muscat, the country's port capital.

In 1960, the consulate became a consulate general (to actively assist Indians in Oman), and finally, an embassy was established in 1971.

Oman established its embassy in New Delhi in 1972.

There are more than 6 lakh Indians residing in Oman, the majority of whom are professional workers like doctors, engineers, and teachers among others.

Additionally, it is the only Gulf country with which the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Force, are engaged in regular bilateral exercises.

Sultan Qaboos, who reigned as the Sultan of Oman for 50 years, ensured warm relations with every Indian government that came to power during his tenure.

In fact, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Oman in 2018, he met the Sultan Qaboos and even had a special dinner with him at the Royal Palace, The Indian Express reported.

The Modi government had announced one day of national mourning on 13 January 2020 to honour the sultan after he had died three days before on 10 January.

In March 2021, the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 was awarded to the sultan for being the "architect of the special ties between India and Oman," as quoted by Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Modi remembered him as "a true friend of India and provided strong leadership for developing a strategic partnership between India and Oman," the PIB statement added. 

The port is also important for the purposes of business and investment.

The Port of Duqm Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is the location of an Indo-Omani joint venture, consisting of investment worth $1.2 billion to establish the largest sebacic acid plant in the Middle East.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2017 by the Duqm Development Company with Adani Ports & SEZ Limited in New Delhi to explore better investment opportunities in the Duqm SEZ, the Times of Oman reported.

Additionally, an attack submarine and two long-range maritime patrol aircrafts have also been deployed at the port, according to The Indian Express.

All these measures have been necessary due to rising Chinese activities in the region.