The 14th round of the India-Oman Strategic Consultative Group (IOSCG) met in Muscat on December 5, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced. The session was co-chaired by Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA), Ministry of External Affairs of India, and Sheikh Khalifa Alharthy, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sultanate of Oman.
Officials from both sides reviewed the wide-ranging strategic partnership covering political ties, defence and security cooperation, trade and investment, energy, agriculture, education, cultural exchanges and people-to-people links. They also discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern.
The two countries marked 2025 as the 70th anniversary year of diplomatic relations, underscoring long-standing historical and cultural connections. Economic engagement remains a key pillar of the relationship: bilateral trade reached USD 10.61 billion in FY 2024–2025 and investment flows continue to grow. Oman is home to a large and active Indian community of roughly 675,000 people, described by officials as a living bridge between the nations.
Participants agreed to hold the next IOSCG meeting in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date next year.
Separately, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi spoke by phone and reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation, each noting the conversation in posts on X.
This report is based on a syndicated feed and is published as received.
