PM Modi was conferred with the Order of Oman by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, along with receiving Ethiopia’s highest award, ‘Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia’.
Muscat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-nation tour to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman drew to a close with India and Oman signing the historic Comprehensive Trade Agreement (CEPA), advancing a new era of economic partnership and opportunity. The CEPA, PM Modi said, represents a "blueprint of our shared future" and would shape the bilateral relations between India and Oman in the decades ahead.
Addressing the India-Oman Business Summit, PM Modi said: "Today, we are making a historic decision whose echo will be heard for decades to come. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will fill us with new trust and new energy in the 21st century. This is a blueprint of our shared future. This will boost our trade, give a new confidence to investment, and open new doors to opportunities in every sector."
He urged the business leaders of the two countries to use the momentum from the summit to deepen trade and investment relations. "Our people know each other well. We have generations of trust in our business relations, and we understand each other’s markets very well," the Prime Minister observed.
PM Modi highlighted that the India-Oman relationship rests on trust and longevity. "Our relation is built on the foundation of trust, moved ahead on the strength of friendship, and with time it has further deepened. Today, our diplomatic relations have been in place for 70 years," he said.
In Ethiopia, Modi, in his discussions with his Ethiopian counterpart Dr Abiy Ahmed, conveyed India’s willingness to step up collaboration in the fields of Digital Public Infrastructure, mining, critical minerals, and clean energy, as well as food security and agriculture.
The two leaders also reviewed progress in the areas of trade and investment, innovation and technology, education, and capacity building. PM Modi stated that Indian companies, as trusted partners, have invested over $5 billion in the Ethiopian economy, especially in essential sectors of manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, creating over 75,000 local jobs.
Earlier, PM Modi concluded his landmark two-day visit to Jordan. In a special gesture, Jordan's Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II bid farewell to PM Modi at the airport following the end of his engagements in Amman.
The Indian leader also addressed the India-Jordan Business Forum and highlighted areas where the two nations can deepen trade, business and investment cooperation. He met with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the Al Husseiniya Palace, and proposed that both countries should aim to enhance bilateral trade to USD 5 billion. PM Modi also called for collaboration between Jordan's digital payment system and India's United Payments Interface (UPI).
