New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan will pay a two-day visit to Oman beginning on Wednesday during which he will hold talks with senior ministers of that country on a host of topics with particular focus on issues related to the Indian community there.
The visit, from December 16-17, will be his first visit to the country as minister of state for external affairs and parliamentary affairs, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said.
During the visit, he will be meeting the foreign minister of Oman, the labour minister as well as other ministers, the MEA said.
He will also be interacting with a broad cross-section of the Indian community and the newly formed Oman-India Friendship Association, the statement said.
Muraleedharan will be meeting the representatives of the Indian Social Club, social workers, medical and education professionals and yoga organisations.
During the visit, he will hold talks on various bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest, the MEA said.
Muraleedharan will particularly focus on issues related to the Indian community, it said. Oman hosts more than 600,000 Indians.
Both countries have worked together to face the COVID-19 pandemic and for orderly repatriation of Indians from Oman under the Vande Bharat Mission, the MEA said.
India also ensured that supply chains for food and other essential items functioned smoothly and facilitated return of health professionals to Oman.
Flights are operational between both countries under an air bubble arrangement. Oman has also recently announced that Indians will be exempted from entry visas for visiting Oman for a period of 10 days.
India and Oman are linked by geography, history and culture and enjoy warm and cordial relations, the MEA said.
Both countries share a strategic partnership and have maintained close high-level contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the telephone with Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman, in April 2020. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a virtual meeting with the foreign minister of Oman on December 2, 2020.
India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was held online in October 2020 with participation at the ministerial level from the ministries of commerce from both countries.
PTI
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