SPECIAL ADDRESS BY AMBASSADOR PRASHANT PISE
INDIA-OMAN DEFENCE INDUSTRY COOPERATION SEMINAR

1050 words; approx 15 min @ 80-85 words per minute

[Salutations]

Engineer Said Saif Saud Al Shabibi, Director General of Research and Military Industries, and head of MoD Oman delegation. 

Director Generals and Officials representing Ministry of Defence, Oman, General Staff Headquarters, Sultan’s Armed Forces, Academy of Strategic and Defence Studies and National Defence College of Oman, Maritime Security Authority, National Survey Authority, Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority, Royal Oman Police, Royal Guard of Oman and Royal Special Forces;

Representatives from Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Oman Chambers of Commerce and Industry. 

Participating Industry Partners from India and Oman;

Friends from Omani Media;

Ladies and gentlemen;

Marhaban Ahlan wa Sahlan, Good morning to you all.

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It is indeed an honour and pleasure to welcome each one of you to the second edition of India-Oman Defence Industry Cooperation Seminar. As many of you may be aware, this forum last met in September 2023. While, to me and perhaps to many of you, it seems quite a gap, but then as our Hon’ble Prime Minister says, ‘Yahi Samay Hai, Sahi Samay Hai’ – yaani, ‘Hada Huwa Al-Waqt, Hada Huwa Al-Waqt Al-Munasib’. What really matters is that we are here, and we are interacting. 

As most of you would be aware, India and Oman celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations last year. Over the years, the India-Oman relationship has evolved into a Strategic Partnership, founded on mutual trust, shared values and common interest in peace, stability and prosperity. Today, energy security, resilience of critical supply chains and rule-based international order are focal points of our vision. In such an environment, defence cooperation is a vital component of our bilateral relationship, to contribute towards regional security and developing capabilities that are required to address emerging challenges.

India-Oman defence cooperation has evolved into a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership, underpinned by a shared and paramount commitment to regional peace and stability. Our defence cooperation manifests through multiple fora including Strategic Dialogue between the National Security Councils, interactions of the Joint Military Coordination Committee chaired by the Defence Secretaries, service-to-service high-level visits, staff-level talks, training exchanges and bilateral exercises between our armies, navies and air forces; namely, Al Najah, Naseem Al Bahr and Eastern Bridge. 

Considering our long-established and natural partnership, it is not surprising that India has the largest number of defence MoUs and agreements with Oman, among all GCC countries. Each agreement is distinct from the other and serves as an enabler to advance security cooperation in specific domains, be it interoperability, shared domain awareness, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of common platforms and equipment, capacity enhancement, human resource development, and defence equipment and technology collaboration.

Apex level interactions under the leadership of HM and Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have further reaffirmed the upward trajectory of our bilateral defence and security cooperation. India-Oman defence industrial cooperation is gaining momentum and presents myriad opportunities for co-development, co-production, technology transfer and optimization of supply chains. 

For Oman, India offers a substantial industrial base, a large pool of engineering talent, an expanding private-sector ecosystem and growing experience in the development and production of defence systems. For India, Oman offers resources to surge indigenous capacities, young and talented human resource, conducive policies for investment and Joint Ventures, a strong culture of quality and most importantly, a reliable partnership, nurtured by centuries of shared history, common interests and people-to-people ties. 

The opportunities are particularly relevant in maritime security, naval systems, unmanned platforms, robotics, sensors, advanced electronics, artificial intelligence, communications, cyber security, shipbuilding and other emerging technologies. Cooperation between our research institutions and industries can also help move promising technologies from the laboratory to the field for practical application.

Through this forum, we wish to invigorate our industrial collaboration and aim to translate our shared strategic interests into commercially viable partnerships, guided by our national vision of Make in India, Make for the World. In this outreach, we remain committed to be respectful, abiding and complementing, towards the national policies and visions of our partners.

India's defence industrial transformation, particularly since the turn of the century, creates a strong foundation for this next phase of cooperation. In the financial year 2025-26, India's defence production reached a record 18 Billion USD, while defence exports rose to 4 Billion USD, with Indian defence products reaching more than 80 countries. The private sector accounted for approximately 24 percent of defence production, reflecting the growing role of private companies in an ecosystem that has traditionally been led by public-sector enterprises. These figures demonstrate the scale of the transformation underway.

The Government of India has undertaken numerous reforms to facilitate investment and expand opportunities for collaboration. Foreign direct investment of up to 74 per cent is permitted through the automatic route for eligible new defence industrial licence holders, with investment of up to 100 percent possible through the government route where the applicable conditions are met, including the potential for access to modern technology.

India has further established two Defence Industrial Corridors, in Central (Uttar Pradesh) and southern (Tamil Nadu) India, to promote investment in manufacturing and development of industrial clusters. Meanwhile, initiatives such as Innovations for Defence Excellence, or IDEX, and the Technology Development Fund are encouraging greater participation by start-ups, smaller enterprises and research institutions. Since 2022-23, 25 percent of the defence R&D budget has been opened to industry, start-ups and academia. Indian Armed Forces are equally committed to the national vision of advancing indigenisation. As a matter of fact, just as we have gathered here today, the Indian Navy is conducting its flagship Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar, in New Delhi, today, focusing on accelerating self-reliance by translating domestic technological innovations into deployable, real-world maritime capabilities. 

We recognise that defence industry partnerships require confidence, predictability and a clear understanding of regulatory and procurement frameworks. Government-to-government engagement and institutional mechanisms such as this forum can help create the conditions for cooperation. The India Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), that came into force on 01 June this year, has dedicated provisions that incentivize defence industrial collaboration. A special Annexure was incorporated in the India-Oman MoU on Military Cooperation in January 2024, enabling procurement of defence material and equipment under the framework. The ultimate success, however, will depend on companies finding the right partners, developing commercially sustainable projects and maintaining a long-term commitment.

The Embassy of India stands ready to facilitate engagement between Indian and Omani companies and to support efforts to turn promising discussions into meaningful partnerships.

I would like acknowledge the efforts of Directorate General of Research and Military Industries and FICCI for their close coordination with the Embassy of India and bringing our two defence industrial communities together. The presence of representatives from as many as 35 industry partners from both countries is indeed encouraging. It reflects a shared recognition that India-Oman defence cooperation has reached a stage where our strategic understanding is ready to be translated into industrial capability, technological collaboration and concrete outcomes.

I wish the forum, its participants and MoD Oman every success. 

Thank you, Shukran Zazilan.