India looks to deepen ties with Arabs

Dec. 8: Looking forward to deepen its economic ties with the Arab world in general, India would be striving to establish a strong network with them in the field of Information and Communication Technology during its participation in the 5th India-Arab Partnership Conference, beginning in Muscat next week.

With “Partnership Towards Innovation and Cooperation in Information Technology” being the theme for the two-day India-Arab Partnership Conference, beginning December 14 in the Sultanate’s capital, the meet is likely to be attended by India’s Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad with some of key official, besides others.

The other Indian minister attending the conference might be one of its two ministers of state in the External Affairs Ministry, said an MEA official.

India’s External Affairs Ministry is one of the organising partners of the India-Arab meet along with the Oman Foreign Ministry and the Arab League Secretariat.

Other collaboration partners include the Federation of Arab Businessmen (FAB) and the General Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Agriculture (GUCCIA).

“The most important part of the partnership conference is economic cooperation and to build business to business links,” said a senior MEA official here.

About 500 Arab and Indian government officials, academicians, businessmen and investors are expected to take part in the conference, according to the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is the coordinating chamber of commerce from the Indian side and their partner will be the Oman Chamber of Commerce.