MUSCAT: On December 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the Order of Oman, the country’s highest civilian honour, by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said.
Prime Minister @narendramodi conferred with the Order of Oman
▪️ His Majesty Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik conferred upon Prime Minister @narendramodi the ‘Order of Oman’ award for his exceptional contribution to India-Oman ties and his visionary leadership
▪️ Prime… pic.twitter.com/RJCglUpkcM
— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 18, 2025
PM Modi is on a two-nation visit to Oman. He was earlier conferred with Ethiopia’s highest civilian award – Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia – during his visit to the country.
PM Modi has been conferred with 29 foreign State awards. The Prime Minister is in Oman on the third leg of his three-nation visit. He reached Oman after visiting Jordan and Ethiopia.
The visit to Oman coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
During his visit, PM Modi addressed the India–Oman Business Forum in Muscat. The Forum saw participation from leading business representatives from both countries across energy, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure, manufacturing, health, financial services, green development, education, and connectivity.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister highlighted the centuries-old maritime trading ties between the two countries, from Mandvi to Muscat, which today form the bedrock of vibrant commercial exchanges.
He noted that 70 years of diplomatic relations represent the trust and friendship built over centuries. The Prime Minister called upon the business leaders to realise the full potential of India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership [ CEPA], which he described as the blueprint for India-Oman’s shared future.
He underscored that CEPA would inject new energy into bilateral trade and investment ties and create opportunities for mutual growth, innovation, and employment.
Highlighting India’s economic success over the last 11 years, the Prime Minister stated that the country was well on its way to becoming the world’s third-largest economy, driven by next-generation reforms, policy predictability, good governance, and high investor confidence. He further added that India’s high growth – over 8% in the last quarter – in an environment of global uncertainty spoke of its resilient nature and inherent strengths.
The Prime Minister underlined that India was working at speed and scale to create world-class infrastructure, logistics, connectivity, trusted supply chains, manufacturing capacities and green growth to boost “ease of living” and “ease of doing business”. He invited Omani businesses to look beyond traditional areas of energy, oil and gas, petrochemicals and fertilisers, and explore opportunities in the fields of green energy, solar parks, energy storage, smart grids, agri-tech, fintech, AI and cyber security.
He proposed establishing the India-Oman Agri Innovation Hub and the India-Oman Innovation Bridge to make the business partnership future-ready. Prime Minister emphasised that these were not just ideas, but an invitation to invest, to innovate and to build the future together.
He appreciated the strong presence of business leaders at the event and called on them to combine enterprise with policy and give CEPA wings. He reaffirmed that India and Oman are strategic partners committed to stability, growth and shared prosperity in the region and beyond.
PM Modi also addressed a large gathering of Indian community members in Muscat. The audience included more than 700 students from various Indian schools. This year marks a milestone for Indian schools in Oman, as they celebrate 50 years of operation in the country.
Addressing the gathering, PM Modi noted that diversity is the foundation of Indian culture – a value which helps them assimilate in any society they form a part of. He emphasised that coexistence and cooperation have been hallmarks of the Indian diaspora. (ANI)
