India and Oman have had a busy schedule of bilateral engagements since the beginning of 2023. In January the two countries held the Eighth Strategic Dialogue which focused on deepening cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism, misuse of emerging technologies, fundraising and disinformation and expansion of terrorist propaganda. The two sides also discussed maintaining maritime safety in the region. Soon thereafter, in February, INS Vela, a Kalavari-class Scorpene submarine visited Port Salalah in Oman on an operational turnaround. This visit was a part of Indian Navy’s active long-range deployments to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean region. These are significant military-naval developments clearly showcasing the strength of their bilateral relations.

In fact Oman is the Gulf country with whom India has had the longest strategic relations as compared to the other Gulf States. Importantly, it has stood out on account of defence cooperation. The two countries have set up the Joint Military Cooperation Committee Meeting (JMCC) on bilateral defence cooperation. The JMCC reviews the progress in military-to-military engagements which include joint exercises, industry cooperation and infrastructure projects.

Oman has also assisted India in its anti-piracy patrols. Since 2008, India has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden. In 2019, the Indian Navy deployed its P-8I long range maritime surveillance aircraft for anti-piracy sorties from Salalah in Oman.

In the past few years, India’s engagements with other Gulf States have deepened and diversified. In particular India’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE have stood out. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE may be hogging most of the limelight in India’s outreach to the Gulf States, it is important to highlight the role of Oman which has been overshadowed to a certain extent.

The diversification of India’s ties with the Arab countries in the past decade has been simultaneous to the shaping of the geostrategic construct of the Indo-Pacific region. India’s growing footprint among the Gulf States has also been integrated into India’s Indo-Pacific policy. But it is pertinent to note that engagements with Oman, geographically closest Gulf State to India, could be considered as the precursor to India’s Indo-Pacific policy. Two factors merit consideration in this regard.

First, maritime domain has been receiving increasing focus as India has formulated its approach towards the Indo-Pacific region.  

Second, while India’s engagements with the Indo-Pacific region have primarily had eastward orientation through ASEAN-centrism, the approach to the Western Indian Ocean has been through redefining of ties with the Gulf States, in particular Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

India and Oman already had these two factors integrated in their relations. On the maritime front, the two countries have been holding joint naval exercise named Naseem-al-Bahr since 1993. Since the start of this exercise, the maritime cooperation between the two countries has only expanded and is the cornerstone of their relations. In 2008 India and Oman upgraded their relations to Strategic Partnership. Also Oman is the only Gulf country with which the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force engage regularly in bilateral exercises.

Naval exercise and maritime cooperation with Oman also meant that India had initiated its outreach to the Western Indian Ocean, much before the concept of the Indo-Pacific Region became a part of global geopolitical discourse.

India’s manoeuvring in the Indo-Pacific region has also been conditioned to a great extent by China’s growing strategic and economic footprint in the region. India’s own external engagements have an underlying strategy of countering China through building partnerships. India-Oman relations have reflected this. In 2018, following Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s visit to Oman, India gained access to strategically important Duqm Port for military use and logistical support. The Duqm Port overlooks Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean region. This port is also important for India from business and investment purposes. The Port of Duqm Special Economic Zone is home to Indo-Omani joint venture which consists of investments worth $1.2 billion to establish the largest Sebacic acid plant in the Middle East. Consequently, access to the Duqm Port is a major boost towards increasing India’s footprint in the Indo-Pacific region.

While India’s ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE have gained traction in the recent years particularly in the maritime domain, ties with Oman have been one of the key factors in determining India’s strategy towards the Indo-Pacific region.

India’s relations with the Gulf States have also been underscored by oil trade and expatriates and Oman has also not been exception in this regard. As per India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Oman was the seventh largest supplier of crude oil to India for the year 2021-2022, the trade value being $3.6 billion. Also as per the Embassy of India in Muscat, Oman approximately 620,000 Indian-origin community members live in Oman. Indians in Oman constitute the largest expatriate community.

Mr. Niranjan Marjani is a political analyst and researcher based in Vadodara, India.