♤ In recent years, India has signed security and defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and Qatar.

♤ The naval engagement with Oman has been most notable. While India and Oman entered into a “strategic partnership” in 2008, naval cooperation has been on since 1993 in the form of a biennial exercise, Naseem Al-Bahr.

♤ More significantly, Oman has played a key role in sustaining India’s security efforts in the Gulf of Aden by offering berthing and replenishment facilities to naval ships, and hosting a crucial listening post in the Western Indian Ocean. In 2018 India and Oman signed an agreement allowing Indian Naval vessels to use the Duqm Port.