India and Oman on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU)on procurement of defence material and equipment during talks between Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and his counterpart Secretary General, Ministry of Defence, Oman Mohammed Bin Naseer Bin Ali Al Zaabi in Muscat.

The Defence Secretary co-chaired the 12th Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) meeting with Ali Al Zaabi, defence ministry officials said here.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed and appreciated the robust defence cooperation between India and Oman. The JMCC meeting delved into many new areas of cooperation in the fields of training, Joint exercise, Information sharing, Oceanography, Ship Building and MRO, that would build mutual trust and interoperability between militaries of both nations.

Further, they also exchanged views on regional and global issues of shared interest. Both sides discussed effective and practical initiatives to further boost bilateral Defence engagements with focus on defence industries collaboration, officials said.

Towards implementing India - Oman Joint Vision Document entitled  ‘A Partnership for the Future’,  adopted during the visit of Head of State of the Sultanate of Oman, Sultan Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik in December 2023, the Defence Secretary and Secretary General signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) pertaining to procurement of Defence Material and Equipment which would provide a framework for a new area of defence collaboration.

During the two-day visit to Oman, Defence Secretary also held bilateral talks with the Secretary General. During the talks, Aramane highlighted the potential of domestic defence industry with capacity, capability and looked forward to a fruitful partnership with the Armed Forces of Oman. Oman side expressed confidence in the capability of Indian defence industry.

Defence Secretary also invited Secretary general and his delegation to visit India to witness the defence industrial capability, especially in aerospace and maritime sectors.

Oman is one of India’s closest defence partners in the Gulf region and defence cooperation has emerged as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between India and Oman. The two countries are committed to work under the vision of strategic partnership.