Indian PM Modi to visit Oman and Jordan this month

New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to Oman and Jordan later this month, in the latest sign of New Delhi’s deepening engagement with the strategically vital West Asia region. The visits, expected in mid-December, will mark PM Modi’s second trip to Oman and his first full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan since assuming office in 2014, although he made a brief transit stop in Amman in February 2018 during his official visit to Palestine

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In Muscat, the centrepiece of discussions is likely to be the long-pending India-Oman Free Trade Agreement. The two sides concluded negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) earlier this year. Oman, a key Indian Ocean neighbour, has emerged as one of India’s closest partners in the Gulf. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq paid a state visit to New Delhi in December 2023, the first by an Omani ruler in over two decades. The two countries conduct regular joint military exercises and India enjoys close strategic ties with Muscat for years.

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Bilateral ties are underpinned by centuries-old people-to-people links. More than 676,000 Indian nationals live in Oman, and some families trace their presence back to 150-200 years. Annual two-way trade stood at around $12 billion in the last financial year, with India importing crude oil and LPG while exporting petroleum products, machinery and foodstuffs.

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In the 2 nation visit, PM Modi will travel to Amman, where King Abdullah II will host him for talks focused on trade, investment and regional security. Jordan has quietly strengthened its economic relationship with India in recent years. Bilateral trade reached $2.875 billion in 2023-24, making India Jordan’s fourth-largest trading partner. Indian firms have invested approximately $1.5 billion in Jordan’s phosphate and textile sectors, and New Delhi sees scope for further collaboration in fertilisers, IT and pharmaceuticals. King Abdullah II last visited India in February-March 2018.

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The back-to-back visits come against the backdrop of India’s broader West Asia policy, as it ups the engagement with Israel, Gulf Arab states, and restates its support to the Palestinian cause. In January, Delhi could host an India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial meet.

In 2024, EAM Dr S Jaishankar travelled to Riyadh for the 1st India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue.