India, Oman agree to isolate sponsors of terror

India, Oman agree to isolate sponsors of terror

Context:

Recently, the External Affairs Ministry stated that India and Oman have agreed to isolate the sponsors of international terrorism.

Battling Terrorism:

• The declaration on battling terrorism came at the end of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Oman
• Both the countries acknowledged that there was an “inter-linkage” between the stability of the Gulf region and the Indian subcontinent.
• The two sides also emphasised the need to isolate the sponsors and supporters of terrorism and agreed that the international community should take urgent action against all such entities, which support terrorism and use it as an instrument of policy

Eight MoUs Signed:

• Agreement on legal and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters
• Agreement on mutual visa exemption of holders of diplomatic, special, service and official passports
•  MoU on cooperation in the field of health
• MoU for cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space
• MoU on cooperation between Foreign Service Institute, Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Oman Diplomatic Institute
• MoU on academic and scholarly cooperation between national Defence College, Sultanate of Oman and the Institute of Defence studies and Analyses
• MoU on the field of tourism cooperation between the two countries
• Annexure to the MoU on military cooperation

Strategic Oil Reserve

• Prime Minister Modi also informed Oman’s ruler about the strategic oil reserve that India plans to build and invited Oman to participate in the project.
•  The Omani side briefed India about its own strategic oil reserve project in Ras Markaz near the port of Duqm.