Oman’s Secretary General of Defence Mohammad bin Nasser bin Ali Al-Zabbi on Tuesday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed ways to boost bilateral strategic ties. The meeting came a day after the two sides agreed to examine areas of mutual interest in forging joint ventures to enhance defence industry cooperation.
The defence ministry said Singh and Al-Zabbi discussed ways to enhance defence cooperation between the two countries. Al-Zabbi also briefed Singh on the outcome of the 11th India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation Committee Meeting (JMCC) that took place in Delhi on Monday.
The JMCC meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and the visiting official. ”During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the progress made in military-to-military engagements, including joint exercises, industry cooperation and various ongoing infrastructure projects,” the ministry said in a statement.
”It was decided to identify new avenues and examine areas of mutual interest for joint venture in order to enhance defence industry cooperation,” it said. The ministry said conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) exercise involving the three services and enhancing the scope and complexities of the existing joint drills were also discussed.
”Both the countries agreed to work together to combat the issue of drug trafficking prevalent in the North Arabian Sea,” it said. The JMCC is the apex body between the defence ministries of India and Oman to comprehensively review and guide all aspects of bilateral defence cooperation.
The secretary general also called on the three service chiefs and met with the CEOs of Indian defence industries. He is scheduled to visit Cochin Shipyard Limited, military training establishments and Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant.
In September last year, India and Oman inked an agreement for the exchange of white shipping information and to boost maritime security cooperation. The Indian Navy cooperates with the Royal Navy of Oman on many fronts that include operational interactions and training.
Both navies have been participating in the biennial maritime exercise Naseem Al Bahr since 1993.
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