New Delhi, March 22 : Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Hamood Al Busaidi will be on a two-day official visit to India from Wednesday – in the third high level visit from the Gulf nation since January this year. The Omani Foreign Minister is visiting India at the invitation of External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar. This is the first visit of Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi to India in his capacity as Foreign Minister. Both Ministers will meet Wednesday evening and undertake a comprehensive review of the progress made in the bilateral strategic partnership between the two countries. The Ministers will also exchange views on recent regional and international developments. India and Oman have continued close cooperation during the Covid pandemic and maintained high level contacts. India is among Oman’s top trading partners and bilateral trade for the current financial year (FY 2021-2022) so far is almost USD 7.5 billion. People-to-people ties is another important facet of the bilateral relationship as Oman is home to approximately 620,000 Indian nationals, an official statement said. On January 31, the two countries held the 11th meeting of the Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) in New Delhi during the visit of top Omani defence official Mohammed Nasser Al Zaabi, Secretary General at the Ministry of Defence. The Omani official led his side for the talks with Indian Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar. Both sides discussed avenues to enhance bilateral military engagement between the air forces of the two sides and training cooperation. The Omani defence official visited India at the head of a military delegation comprising senior officers from the Ministry of Defence and the Sultan’s Armed Forces. On February 14, Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman Rear Admiral Saif Nasser Al Rahbi was in India, and met Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. The two held talks on enhancing bilateral defence cooperation and maritime security. In 2018 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Muscat, the two sides signed an agreement giving the Indian Navy access to facilities at Oman’s Duqm port. RN