On his three-nation tour, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Omani business to invest in India, as he addressed around 50 Omani chief executives at the Oman-India Business Meet in Muscat. Speaking at the event, Modi said the reforms were aimed at preparing India for the 21st century and make it a global manufacturing hub. He said India was ushering in a knowledge-based technologically driven society which presents many opportunities for Omani businesses.
The PM listed some of the major reforms by the government in the last over three years, saying that India had climbed to the third position in the global Start-up Index. Earlier, during his meeting with Sultan of Oman, Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Modi appreciated Indian expatriates for their contributions to the country's development. Oman houses over 8,00,000 expatriate Indians. Modi praised their roles in the Gulf country's development.
Following the meeting between Modi and Sultan Qaboos, eight agreements were signed between India and Oman. These include three memorandums of understanding on cooperation in the fields of health, outer space, diplomacy and defence studies and analyses. The India-Oman defence cooperation has emerged as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries. Oman is a strategic partner of India in the Gulf and an important interlocutor at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
