Oman on Thursday conferred Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Order of Oman, the highest civilian honour, for his contributions to strengthening bilateral relations.
Other distinguished recepients of the Order of Oman include Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, Queen Maxim of Netherlands, Japanese Emperor Akihito and Jordan King Abdullah. For PM Modi, this is his 29th top civilian award from a foreign nation.
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He was in Oman on a two-day visit, which was part of a wider three-nation tour. The other two countries he visited were Jordan and Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, he received Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia on Tuesday. Earlier in Kuwait, he was awarded the Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer.
India and Oman inked a free trade deal on Thursday, providing duty-free access to 98 per cent of India's exports, including textiles, agri and leather goods in the Sultanate. In 2024-25, India-Oman bilateral exports was about $10.5 billion, including $4 billion in exports and $6.54 billion in imports.
"Today, we are making a historic decision whose impact will be felt for decades to come. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, will infuse our partnership with new confidence and energy in the 21st century," he said.
The prime minister invited Omani businesses to explore not just traditional areas of energy, oil and gas, petrochemicals and fertilisers, but also opportunities in the fields of green energy, solar parks, energy storage, smart grids, agri-tech, fintech, AI and cyber security.
