Saturday 28 / September / 2024
Muscat: The recent G20 New Delhi Summit will give a boost to the existing strong bilateral relations between the Sultanate of Oman and India with both the nations working closely and united in developing sustainable infrastructure, according to Amit Narang, Ambassador of India to Oman.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday at the Indian Embassy, Narang termed the “G20 Summit under India’s presidency a resounding success.”
Oman was one of the nine invited nations besides the 20 members at the summit and during the past few months, high-level ministerial delegations led by several ministers attended various G20 meetings.
Narang said: “Nine ministers from Oman travelled to attend G20 meetings, which was unprecedented as it underlined the significance of the G20 meetings and the importance attached to it.”
“Oman and India are close partners in several sectors. From renewable energy to information technology, and other areas, we are united in the drive for sustainable infrastructure. We stand ready to work for these collective objectives,” he added.
India-Middle East-Europe Corridor
The Indian Ambassador said that the success of the G20 Summit was a result of painstaking diplomatic work among participating countries, symbolising a shared commitment to addressing pressing global challenges.
“The Sultanate of Oman participated in the G20 for the first time under India’s Presidency, on our invitation as our ‘special guest’,” he said.
Among the major initiatives that were launched were the announcement of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
Speaking about IMEC, Narang said: “It is a path-breaking initiative to stimulate economic development through enhanced connectivity and economic integration between Asia, the Gulf and Europe.”
“It is an ambitious project that has a lot of promise and it could serve as a blueprint for the collective rejuvenation of the economy of the entire region,” he added.
“Railways is an important link and we are waiting for more details as of now only the initial agreement signed on this matter.”
The Indian Ambassador said that growing bilateral trade relations have grown more than double in the past two years and the “trade volume has touched $12.4 billion”.
“Trade relations are on the upswing and Oman’s economy has a strong potential. We are working closely with Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP). There is a significant upscale of trade agreement,” he added.
‘Oman on global stage’
Narang said: “Oman gained an enriching experience by participation in global meetings. The platform also enabled Oman officials to hold bilateral meetings with their counterparts that created new space for better engagements. The G20 summit allowed the Oman government to share the global stage and understand the global trend. It provided a stage for Oman to put in place its perspective in global discussions. We are happy as Oman’s friends to have given the opportunity for cross fertilisation of ideas to happen. We believe that Oman had an enriching experience and the officials and ministers have returned with an evolved perspective of global discussions. Overall, the G20 summit will give a boost to Oman’s global collaboration and with India.”
India’s G20 Presidency
India took the helm of the G20 in December 2022 at a time when the global landscape was fraught with challenges.
Over the course of the past year, the G20 under India’s Presidency has sought to find solutions to some of the most pressing global problems, and in that process, has endeavoured to put in place future-ready roadmaps for collective global progress.
Narang said: “The message of our Presidency was that we are one earth, one family, and we share one future. This draws on an age-old belief of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”
The entire proceedings of the New Delhi Summit were organised accordingly, with three sessions devoted to each aspect of this theme.
The summit brought together the leaders of the 20 member countries, 9 invitee countries, and 14 international organisations.
The summit successfully adopted an outcome document – the G20 New Delhi Declaration. Spread over 34 pages and 83 paragraphs, this is a comprehensive and solutions-rich document that purposefully addresses a wide range of challenges confronting humankind today.
Narang said: “In its scope, scale and ambition, the New Delhi Declaration embodies the spirit of collaboration, cooperation, and shared responsibility.
This path-breaking document was adopted with complete consensus on all developmental and geo-political issues and focuses on key issues such as promoting strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth; accelerating progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); a green development pact for sustainable future; a blueprint for digital public infrastructure and reinvigorating multilateralism for the 21st century. In other words, the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration is a powerful call for Planet, People, Peace and Prosperity.”
New Delhi Declaration
He added: “The Leaders’ Declaration was not, however, the only outcome document coming out of India’s Presidency. In fact there were no less than 112 such outcomes and presidency documents in different tracks, which is more than double the number for any past presidency.”
India also took several new initiatives as the G20 President, many of which were announced during the Summit.
The Indian Ambassador said: “Notable among these is a Global Biofuel Alliance, which brings together 19 countries and 12 international organisations for fostering global collaboration for adoption of biofuels thereby reducing carbon emissions and promoting cleaner and greener energy solutions on a global scale.”
Events over the past year were organised across 60 different cities in India in every corner of our vast country. It is fair to say that the popular participation and societal involvement with G20 during India’s Presidency was unprecedented.
Narang said: “In January this year, India had hosted 125 developing countries in the ‘Voice of Global South Summit’, so that the priorities and concerns of the global South could be channelised into the G20 process. I am happy to mention that Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi in his remarks at the ‘Voice of Global South Summit’ had laid out ‘social justice’ and ensuring a ‘just transition’ as key priorities for Oman.”
He added: “As far as inclusiveness is concerned, the Indian Presidency will of course be remembered for the long overdue inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the Group.”
The Indian Ambassador said: “In a world that is increasingly fragmented, India has proved that it can work to bridge divides and bring humanity together as one. This is reflected, as I have mentioned, in the unprecedented scope and ambition of the New Delhi Declaration, which is a rare example of global consensus on a very wide range of issues. At a time of a global trust deficit, as Prime Minister Modi put it, India has succeeded in forging consensus on a new human-centric model of development under its theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
‘Time-tested bonds of friendship’
Narang said: “I am happy to note that the Sultanate of Oman honoured us with their esteemed presence as Special Guest during our G20 Presidency. The invitation by India to Oman underscores the deep-rooted and time-tested bonds of friendship and brotherhood that we share with Oman. For this, we convey our appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
“HH Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs, Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan participated in the G20 Summit as His Majesty’s Personal Representative and his gracious remarks at the Leaders’ Sessions in which he congratulated India for the successful G20 Summit and lauded the invitation extended to Oman to participate as a Special Guest, are highly appreciated.”
