New Delhi: India and Oman inked a free-trade agreement on Thursday (December 18) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Muscat, with New Delhi claiming to have secured near-universal duty-free access to the Omani market.The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed by Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and his Omani opposite number Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef provides for zero duties on 99% of India’s exports to Oman, including those in the labour-intensive gems and jewellery, textiles, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and automobiles sectors, the Indian government said.On the other hand India will cut duties on around 78% of its tariff lines, impacting close to 95% of Oman’s bilateral exports. However, sensitive products such as dairy, tea, coffee, rubber, tobacco as well as gold and silver bouillon coming from the Arab nation remain excluded, New Delhi said.Services and professional mobility are also major features of the CEPA. Oman has increased its quota for Indian employees transferred to the country, allowed contractual service suppliers to stay for longer and eased entry and stay conditions for skilled workers in the accounting, taxation, architecture and medical sectors. Indian companies can also invest 100% in major Omani service sectors, opening opportunities for expansion.This is even as Muscat has pursued a policy of ‘Omanisation’ – whereby it seeks to replace expatriates with trained Omani workers – something that Indian officials had acknowledged in the lead-up to the agreement. However they maintained that Oman would probably “continue to employ skilled individuals to support its large infrastructure plans and its sustained economic growth” anyway.The CEPA also looks to Oman as a new market for India’s AYUSH or Ayurvedic remedies sector.Trade between India and Oman totalled $10.61 billion in FY 2024-25 and the West Asian nation is home to some 6.75 lakh Indian people.Thursday’s agreement is the second free-trade deal India has signed in the last six months – the other one being with the UK – during which time it has also been in talks with the EU as Washington’s unprecedented 50% tariff on Indian goods has stayed in place.Apart from the CEPA, India and Oman also signed memorandums of understanding on agriculture, higher education as well as maritime heritage and museums.A joint statement said the two sides discussed exploring trade in local currencies, expressed keenness in supporting companies to further energy cooperation and agreed to continue bilateral defence exercises.They also “expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for safe and timely delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians” in addition to supporting America’s ‘peace plan’ for the beleaguered coastal strip and underlining the need for the “establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state”.The developments marked the conclusion of Modi’s trip, during which he had also visited Jordan and Ethiopia.He arrived in Muscat on Wednesday, following which he held one-on-one and delegation-level talks with Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, met with members of the Indian community and attended an India-Oman Business Forum.The prime minister, whose visit occurred on the 70th year of bilateral relations, was also conferred the Order of Oman (First Class) by the sultan.