New Delhi, Dec 10 – The Oman Ambassador to India, Issa Saleh Abdullah Saleh Alshibani, told LatestNewsX that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is due to be signed shortly, will act as a straightforward gateway for boosting trade and investment ties between the two countries.
“A comprehensive economic agreement usually is a platform that makes an easy gateway for investments and would also serve to simplify a lot of the engagements in terms of investments. I think it’s also one way of supporting the bilateral trade between the two countries. According to statistics, we have seen an increase in the bilateral trade,” the Ambassador said in an exclusive interview with LatestNewsX.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit Oman next week to celebrate seventy years of diplomatic relations, he hopes the partnership will grow stronger across a range of sectors.
During the Suhar Investment Forum 2026, set for February, the envoy added: “It’s more of a progressive kind of event. When I met with the Suhar team, they mentioned that this year they will be focusing on sector‑wise industries. It will also include visits to the different sites of the Suhar Port and Suhar Industrial Zone.” This will give many Indian firms a real‑world view of the industry developments that exist today and the future opportunities that align with Oman’s Vision 2040.
On the transfer of more than twenty Jaguar fighter jets to India, the Ambassador remarked: “I think this reflects how deep the defence relationship between India and Oman is. We are the first and maybe the only country that has conducted joint training between all the different forces. I think this is where it shows how deep this relationship is. The Jaguars have been in Oman for decades. It’s one of the trustworthy air fighters. I think this shows how strong the relationship is in terms of defence and closeness between the two countries.”
Oman’s Air Force will hand over its fleet of over 20 Jaguar fighter‑bombers to the Indian Air Force, where they will be de‑commissioned and used as spare parts. The Indian Air Force currently operates six Jaguar squadrons, each fielding around 18‑20 aircraft, making it one of the few nations worldwide still to employ this Anglo‑French‑made jet.
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