Foreign Policy: ‘Mutual Trust and Shared Values’

Foreign Policy: ‘Mutual Trust and Shared Values’

While Oman has distinguished itself as a player in maintaining strong working relationships with countries across the world, and the Middle East in particular, India follows a policy of non-alignment and friendly relations with all nations. This means both countries share a common policy characterised by independence, pragmatism and moderation. They are also based on purposeful and proactive principles. In recent years, India has pursued a foreign policy that encompasses the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy embodied by SAARC as well as the ‘Look East’ policy to forge more extensive economic and strategic relationships with other East Asian countries. Moreover, India was one of the founding members of several international organizations—the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, New Development BRICS Bank, and G-20, widely considered the main economic locus of emerging and developed nations. For Oman, its stable and consistent foreign relations, based on the principles of neutrality, non-interference, and mediation, as outlined by the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, has made the country stand out among other global and regional powers. This was evident in the speech of His Majesty Sultan Haitham after the passing of Sultan Qaboos, when he affirmed: “We will follow the same line as the late Sultan, and the principles that he asserted for the foreign policy of our country, of peaceful coexistence among nations and people, and good neighbourly behaviour of non-interference in the affairs of others.” The principles upon which Omani foreign policy is based are basic precepts that are intimately linked to the country’s history, traditions, geographical location, and its relations with other countries. Since the beginning of Oman’s Renaissance, the Sultanate set about building bridges by extending the hand of friendship, while making determined efforts to play its part in making a better life for the region and the world: The Sultanate of Oman follows the path of dialogue and encourages it. My country’s government supports the values of tolerance, collective action and peaceful coexistence with all. We believe in the principles of justice, equality, good neighbourliness, the rule of law and non-interference in the internal affairs of others. We stress the peaceful settlement of disputes, based on the rules and principles of the UN Charter and international law, as an obligation that we all should honour.2

Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, Oman During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Sultanate in

2 Oman Daily Observer. (2020, September 2).

February 2018, Oman and India signed bilateral agreements in several fields including security, defence, space, energy, health, tourism and education. In regard to these agreements, India’s External Minister S Jayshankar said: “Signing of an agreement is just a beginning. We do not look at it just as an agreement, it is like a small piece in a mosaic, and the overall picture is that of strategic partnership and of a very trusted relationship between the two countries”3. According to him, each of these different aspects adds texture and depth to this relationship. The bilateral relations between Oman and India have gained momentum and have created many opportunities. Both countries have signed a number of agreements in different fields of cooperation and are presently focused on their implementation: “Whether it is training, exchanges, travel or high level visits, it is on the rise. We are still looking at new areas like technology and its application,” the minister said in an interview to Oman Daily Observer during his visit to Oman in December 2019. He elaborated: We are guided actually in our efforts by what His Majesty Sultan Qaboos told Prime Minister Modi, that the sky is the limit when it comes to our cooperation. This really is what the agreements are all about. We are neighbours across the waters; our relationship is absolutely cordial and very smooth. S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India India and Oman share a very high degree of trust, based on many years of experience: “There is no obstacle for us to do something. Nobody is pushing us back, and our relationship is growing through the government and a lot of it is growing through the people. No one is pushing us back”. The foreign policy goals and visions of both the countries are very similar and they are supported by each other. Referring to the region, Jayshankar added: “when we look at the world, particularly the region, with its challenges, tensions, frictions and sanctions, to my mind what is most positive is that both India and Oman share a desire to work positively and constructively, with everyone”.

3 Oman Daily Observer. (2019, December 29).