Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh arrives in Oman on a 3-day visit

With a motive to advance bilateral military ties with the influential Gulf Nation, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh marked his presence in Oman on Sunday. The Navy Chief is set to hold talks with top military officers of the Gulf nation, including his Omani counterpart Rear Admiral Said bin Nasser bin Mohsen Al-Rahbi during his visit from September 27 to 29, officials informed.

"The visit aims to consolidate bilateral defence relations with Oman, as also to explore new avenues for defence cooperation," Indian Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

Indian Navy Chief to hold talks with key Oman Defence delegates

The Indian Naval Chief is also scheduled to hold meetings with Chief of Staff Oman Armed Forces Vice Admiral Abdullah Khamis Abdulla Al Raisi, Commander of Royal Army of Oman Major General Matar Bin Salim Bin Rashid Al Balushi and Commander of Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Khamis Bin Hammad Bin Sultan Al Ghafri.

Chief Admiral Karambir Singh will also be taking account of pivotal defence installations like Muaskar Al Murtafa (MAM) camp, Maritime Security Centre (MSC), Said Bin Sultan Naval Base, Al Musanna Air Base and National Defence College in Oman. It should be noted that the Indian Navy collaborates with the Royal Navy of Oman on multiple spheres including operational interactions and training.

India-Oman bilateral maritime relations

Both navies have been participating in the biennial maritime exercise Naseem Al Bahr since 1993. This exercise was last conducted in 2020 in Goa and the next edition is scheduled for 2022.

"This official visit of the Chief of Naval Staff to Oman highlights the growing cooperation between Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Oman," Commander Madhwal said.

The ministry further stated that the Indian Navy cooperates with the Royal Navy of Oman on many fronts, which include operational interactions, training cooperation, and exchange of Subject Matter Experts in various fields.

It should be noted that Dr S Jaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs had on September 01 lauded Oman for assisting India's Afghan repatriation planes. During a phone discussion, Jaishankar had reviewed Afghanistan and the COVID issue with his Oman counterpart, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi. The talks between the two came a day after the US completed its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan after it ended its two-decade-long war in Afghanistan.

Inputs: PTI

Image: TWITTER-@INDIAN NAVY