Doha, Nov 09: India and Qatar signed two agreements on defence and security co-operation as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in this Gulf nation on Sunday evening on the last leg of his two-nation Gulf tour.
The defence agreement includes the issue of maritime security among others, while the agreement on security and law enforcement covers issues like common threat perceptions and sharing of data.
The agreements were signed following a meeting between Singh and Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al-Thani.
Meanwhile, Singh held discussions on the Free Trade Agreement with Oman, which will
takeover the chairmanship of Gulf Co-operation Council next year, officials said.
Besides Oman, GCC comprises of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
Of the three components of FTA, broad understanding on investments and services sector have been reached with Oman, said Secretary (East) in Ministry of External Affairs N Ravi, who is accompanying the Prime Minister on his three-day visit to Oman and Qatar.
Earlier, the Prime Minister was received at Doha International Airport by Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, who holds cabinet rank.
This is the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to this Gulf nation.
Co-op with Gulf nations
Concerned over criminal and terrorist
activities in India and the oil-rich Gulf, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said the two sides should work closely to
ensure "a stable and prosperous region".
"Piracy, criminal activities and terrorism on our seas
and land threaten the Gulf countries and India as well,"
Singh, on his maiden visit to the region, said addressing the
Indian expat community here on the second day of his three-day
visit to Oman and Qatar.
The Gulf region is part of India's "extended
neighbourhood," and the largest source of the country's energy
supplies, Singh said.
"The Gulf region is an area of great importance to India.
It is part of our extended neighbourhood, and home to five
million Indians. It is the largest source of our energy
supplies," he said.
The Prime Minister, whose first stop on the visit was
Oman, last evening held delegation level talks with Deputy
Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd Mahmoud Al Said. He met the
nation's Sultan Qaboos bin Said this afternoon.
He said "there are many reasons for us to work closely
together with Oman to ensure a stable and prosperous region."
Lauding the contribution of the Indian expat community,
Singh said annual remittances from Oman to India were more
than USD 780 million.
The Government, he said, was alive to the welfare of the
non-resident Indian community citing the memorandum of
understanding with Oman on labour mobility, protection and
welfare of workers signed yesterday.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is in the process
of establishing Overseas Indian Community Welfare Funds in all
Indian Missions in the Gulf, besides the Overseas Workers
Resource Centre, a toll free helpline, has been established
for Indian workers in the Gulf, Singh said.
An Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre provides
opportunities for expats to invest in India.
Oman urged to invest in infrastructure
Grappling with economic slowdown as a
result of global financial crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh asked energy-rich Gulf countries to invest their
surplus funds in the nation's key infrastructure sectors.
Asia's third largest economy is looking at boosting
spending to prevent the economy from going under.
"I would call upon captains of Oman's industry and
financial companies to invest surplus liquidity into key
infrastructure sectors in India. We are determined to create a
hospitable climate for investment, particularly foreign
investment from friendly countries like Oman," Singh said
addressing Omanese business community here.
The global financial crisis is likely to slow the pace of
economic growth in India to 7.5 per cent in the year ending
March 31, 2009 and it may record a rate of between 7 and 7.5
per cent next fiscal. The growth rate comes on back of 9 per
cent acceleration in 2007-08 fiscal.
"Against the background of the current international
economic and financial situation, I suggest there is an even
greater need for us to join hands to shape counter-cyclical
growth strategies by focusing on real economy," he said.
"India and Oman are well placed to convert this challenge
into an opportunity. We count on you to be the architects of
this magnificent change," he added.
The two nations yesterday evening signed an agreement to
set up India-Oman Joint Investment Fund with an initial seed
money of USD 100 million, that would eventually go up to USD 1
billion, for investments in infrastructure, tourism, health,
telecom, utilities, urban infrastructure and other sectors.
Singh, on his maiden visit to the energy-rich Gulf
region, is targeting USD 2 billion non-oil trade with Oman
soon, up from USD 1.4 billion this year. "I see enormous
potential for a substantial strengthening of our trade and
economic ties based on growing complementarities of our two
countries."
The meeting was attended by Oman Oil Co CEO Ahmed Salim
Al Wahaibi, MB Holding Co Chairman Mohammed Ali Al Barwani, W
J Towell Group Chairman Hussain Jawad Sultan, Oman Arab Bank
CEO Abdul Kader Ahmed Askalan, Lima LCC Director Khaula Hamoud
Al Harthy.
It was also attended by Bank Muscat Chairman Abdul Malik
Bin Abdullah Al Khalili, Oman Mobile Managing Director Amer Al
Rowas, Oman Shipping Co Managing Director Adel Abdullah Al
Raisi and Zubair Corp Director Ziyad Bin Mohammed Al Zubair
among others.
Bureau Report with IANS inputs