Muscat [Oman], December 18 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Thursday conferred with the Order of Oman, the Sultanate's highest civilian honour, by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.

PM Modi is on a two-nation visit to Oman. He was earlier conferred with Ethiopia's highest civilian award - Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia - during his visit to the country.

PM Modi has been conferred with 29 foreign State awards. The Prime Minister is in Oman on the third leg of his three-nation visit. He reached Oman after visiting Jordan and Ethiopia.

The visit to Oman coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During his visit, PM Modi addressed the India-Oman Business Forum in Muscat. The Forum saw participation by leading business representatives from both countries in the fields of energy, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure, manufacturing, health, financial services, green development, education, and connectivity.

Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister highlighted the centuries-old maritime trading ties between the two countries, from Mandvi to Muscat, which today forms the bedrock of vibrant commercial exchanges.

He noted that 70 years of diplomatic relations represent the trust and friendship built over centuries. Prime Minister called upon the business leaders to realise the full potential of India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership [ CEPA], which he described as the blueprint for India-Oman shared future.

He underscored that CEPA would infuse new energy in bilateral trade and investment ties and create opportunities for mutual growth, innovation and employment.

Highlighting India's economic success in the last 11 years, the Prime Minister stated that the country was well on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world on the back of next generation reforms, policy predictability, good governance and high investor confidence. He further added that India's high growth - over 8% in the last quarter - in an environment of global uncertainty spoke of its resilient nature and inherent strengths.

The Prime Minister underlined that India was working at speed and scale to create world-class infrastructure, logistics, connectivity, trusted supply chains, manufacturing capacities and green growth to boost 'ease of living' and 'ease of doing business'. He invited Omani businesses to look beyond traditional areas of energy, oil and gas, petrochemicals and fertilisers, and explore opportunities in the fields of green energy, solar parks, energy storage, smart grids, agri-tech, fintech, AI and cyber security.

He proposed the creation of India-Oman Agri Innovation Hub and the India-Oman Innovation Bridge to make the business partnership future-ready. Prime Minister emphasised that these were not just ideas, but invitation to invest, to innovate and to build the future together.

He appreciated the strong presence of business leaders at the event and called upon them to combine enterprise with policy and give wings to CEPA. He reaffirmed that India and Oman are strategic partners committed to stability, growth and shared prosperity in the region and beyond.

PM Modi also addressed a large gathering of Indian community members in Muscat. The audience included more than 700 students from various Indian schools. This year holds special significance for Indian schools in Oman, as they celebrate 50 years of their establishment in the country.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi noted that diversity is the foundation of Indian culture - a value which helps them assimilate in any society they form a part of. He underlined that co-existence and cooperation have been a hallmark of the Indian diaspora. (ANI)