By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Feb 15:
Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman (CRNO) Rear Admiral Saif Bin Nasser Bin Mohsin Al Rahbi, who is on a five-day goodwill visit to India, called on Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar at Naval headquarters in Delhi on Monday.
Visiting Oman Navy chief held discussions with his Indian counterpart to explore avenues to further enhance cooperation between the Navies. The Navy in a statement said that the
visit of the Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman aims to consolidate bilateral relations with the Indian Navy, as also to explore new avenues for defence cooperation with India.
“The first visit of the incumbent CRNO to India reverberates the growing cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman, which includes operational interactions, training, and exchange of subject matter experts. Both Navies have been participating in the biennial maritime exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ since 1993. This exercise was last held in 2020, off Goa and the next edition is scheduled later this year. INS Sudarshini visited Muscat in December 2021 and had embarked RNO Sea Riders for sea experience, the Navy said.
Training and naval equipment procurement from India will dominate the talks between the Indian side and CRNO, who is also the Chairman Maritime Security Committee of Oman.
The Oman’s Secretary-General at the Ministry of Defence Mohammed Bin Nasser Bin Ali Al Zaabi had held the 11th India–Oman Joint Military Cooperation Committee Meeting (JMCC) on bilateral defence cooperation with Indian Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar on January 31. Zaabi had also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and leaders of India’s defence industry.
India and Oman have very strong defence ties, and all three services have bilateral exchanges and exercises with Oman’s services. Oman provides operational support to the Indian Navy for anti-piracy missions in the Arabian Sea. Also, India has got access to the Duqm port in Oman, strengthening India’s capability and maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), especially against China’s aggressive advance in the region.
During his visit Rahbi will meet all the services Chiefs’, members of the National Security Council, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, and senior officers from the Armed forces at Delhi. He will also visit operational facilities, shipbuilding, and repair facilities at Mumbai and Western Naval Command which deals with the deployment of ships in the gulf.
The key focus during Rabbi’s visit will be India-Oman Navy to Navy Staff Talks. He will be also visiting the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region(IFC-IOR ) located at Gurugram (Haryana). The IFC-IOR has linkages with over 50 nations and multinational/ maritime security centres. It hosts International Liaison Officers (ILOs) from 10 partner nations – Australia, France, Japan, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles Singapore, United Kingdom, United States of America. More ILOs are expected to join it in near future.
Both countries already have a White Shipping Exchange Agreement. The then Indian Navy Chief Karambir Singh had visited Oman last September. The Last Visit by Oman Navy Chief to India was undertaken in September 2017. The west Asian country also provides critical operational support to Indian naval deployments in the Arabian sea for anti-piracy missions and actively participates in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS).
More high-level engagements are seen between Indian, Omani military leadership. Chief of Oman’s Air force will also visit India soon even as Jodhpur (Rajasthan) will see Air exercises between the two countries later this month. The annual bilateral air exercise this year will see the participation of over 150 personnel from Oman.
Oman is the only country in the Gulf region with which all 3 services of the Indian armed forces conduct regular bilateral exercises and staff talks. Oman is India’s closest defence partner in the Gulf region and Defence exchanges are a part of a framework MOU which was renewed in 2021.
Sri Lankan Army delegation visits Mumbai
In the meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Army delegation visited Mumbai to promote cultural harmony between the two countries showcasing ancient Indian archaeological monuments. The delegation visited various places of interest in Mumbai including Gateway of India and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (museum) located in South Mumbai on Monday.
