PM Modi Receives Oman’s Highest Civilian Honour During Muscat Visit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded 'The First Class of the Order of Oman', the highest civilian honour of the Sultanate, on Thursday.

This marks the 29th international recognition conferred upon the Indian Prime Minister during his tenure.

The prestigious honour has earlier been presented to several globally respected leaders and dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Japan’s Emperor Akihito, and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Oman on Wednesday as part of the final stop of his three-nation diplomatic tour. He was received by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik at the Al Baraka Palace in Muscat, where the two leaders later held detailed bilateral discussions.

During their meeting, India and Oman formally signed a landmark free trade agreement. Both leaders welcomed the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), describing it as a significant step forward in strengthening the strategic and economic ties between the two nations.

According to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the agreement is expected to substantially boost bilateral trade and investment.

“CEPA will promote economic diversification, create new business opportunities across sectors, stimulate growth, and generate employment,” he said.

Highlighting the people-centric impact of the agreement, Jaiswal added that CEPA would lead to greater job creation, improved market access for businesses, more resilient supply chains, and expanded economic opportunities for citizens of both countries.

The discussions between Prime Minister Modi and Sultan Haitham covered a wide range of areas, including defence and security cooperation, trade and investment, energy, agriculture, technology, emerging sectors, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders also exchanged views on key regional and global developments, reaffirming their commitment to closer collaboration on matters of shared interest, Jaiswal wrote on X.

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