PM Modi, Oman Sultan strongly condemn terrorism 'in all its forms and manifestations'

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik have condemned terrorism in "all its forms and manifestations." The two leaders affirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation to combat terrorism.
PM Modi and Haitham bin Tarik underscored the significance of fostering the universal values of peace, moderation, coexistence and tolerance, according to the joint statement released by India and Oman.
The joint statement released by India and Oman reads, "The two leaders strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They agreed that there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever."
"They affirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation to combat terrorism and underscored the significance of fostering the universal values of peace, moderation, coexistence, and tolerance while highlighting the imperative of renouncing all types of violent extremism," it added.
Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik arrived in Delhi for his maiden State visit to India. During the visit, he held bilateral and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two Leaders expressed satisfaction at the "excellent state" of bilateral relations. PM Modi and Haitham Bin Tarik noted with satisfaction the continued exchange of high-level visits, which have helped achieve progress in the various areas of cooperation.
The joint statement released by India and Oman reads, "The two Leaders expressed satisfaction at the excellent state of bilateral relations, which have stood the test of time, evolving into a strong and enduring partnership built on historical ties, mutual trust and respect, and shared interests."
The two leaders held discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, including political and security cooperation, defence, trade, energy security and renewables, healthcare, education, culture, and people-to-people relations. PM Modi and Oman Sultan adopted a Joint Vision document titled 'A Partnership For the Future', encompassing a shared vision of the leadership of Oman and India.
The India-Oman joint statement reads, "The Joint Vision acknowledges the remarkable synergy between Oman Vision 2040 and India's development objectives, under 'Amrit Kaal', affirming commitment to harnessing these complementarities for deepening the partnership between India and Oman."
"The document identifies a range of areas such as maritime cooperation and connectivity, energy security and green energy, space, technologies, and applications, digital payments and financial cooperation, trade and Investment, health, tourism and hospitality, IT & innovation, as well as agriculture and food security with specific action points as part of the future roadmap to deepen ties between both countries for implementation," it added.
PM Modi and Oman Sultan expressed confidence that the Joint Vision document will act as a roadmap for strengthening bilateral cooperation in various areas and will scale up the India-Oman partnership to new heights. The leaders expressed satisfaction over the remarkable growth in bilateral trade, which has more than doubled from USD 5.4 billion in 2020-21 to USD 12.3 billion in 2022-23.
The two leaders appreciated that negotiations on an India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) have commenced and already achieved substantial progress. Both sides agreed to continue working closely to accelerate and conclude the negotiations, according to the India, Oman joint statement.
PM Modi and Haitham bin Tarik appreciated the announcement of the third tranche of the Oman-India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF). The two leaders welcomed the steady deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries and underscored the need to further enhance mutual engagement in this field.
The joint statement reads, "The Leaders appreciated the announcement of the 3rd tranche of the Oman-India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF), noting its potential to galvanize investments from Oman and the Gulf region into the fastest growing sectors of the Indian economy." (ANI)