CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF VISIT OMAN (31 JUL – 02 AUG 23)

By PIB Delhi

Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, is on a three-day official visit to the Sultanate of Oman from 31 Jul – 02 Aug 23. The visit aims to consolidate existing bilateral defence relations and high-level discussions with the military leadership of the Sultanate of Oman.

During the visit, Adm R Hari Kumar would call on His Excellency General Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Nu’amani, Minister of Royal Office, and hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart Rear Admiral Saif bin Nasser bin Mohsen Al-Rahbi, Commander of Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) and with Maj Gen Matar bin Salim bin Rashid Al Balushi, Commander of Royal Army of Oman. The CNS would also be visiting key defence and training installations in Oman.

Coinciding with the visit, Indian Navy’s indigenously designed and constructed Guided Missile Destroyer INS Visakhapatnam arrived at Port Sultan Qaboos, Muscat on 30 Jul 23 for a three-day port call, during which various naval cooperation events are scheduled with the Royal Navy of Oman, which will culminate with a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) on 03 Aug 23.

Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Oman engage with each other under numerous Foreign Cooperation avenues, which include operations, training, and exchange of Subject Matter Experts in various fields. The 13th edition of the bilateral naval exercise Naseem Al Bahr, an important biennial activity initiated in 1993, was conducted off Oman in 2022, and the next edition is scheduled for 2024. Both navies also engage extensively under the aegis of various multilateral constructs such as the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS). The relationship between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman is in consonance with the GoI vision of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR).