PM Modi to visit Jordan, Ethiopia, Oman from December 15 to 18

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a four-day visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman beginning Monday to shore up bilateral ties, especially in areas of trade and defence.

In the first leg of his trip, Modi will visit Jordan from December 15 to 16 at the invitation of King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange perspectives on regional issues.

This visit presents an opportunity to further strengthen India-Jordan engagement, explore new avenues of collaboration for growth and prosperity, and reiterate New Delhi's commitment to promote regional peace, security and stability, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

From Jordan, Modi will travel to Ethiopia for a two-day visit from December 16 to 17. It will be his first visit to the East African country.

In Addis Ababa, Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on all aspects of bilateral ties.

"As partners in the Global South, the visit will be a reiteration of the shared commitment of the two nations to advance close ties of friendship and bilateral cooperation," the MEA said.

In the third and final leg of his visit, Modi will visit Oman from December 17 to 18 at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.

It will be Modi's second visit to Oman. The two sides are expected to seal a free trade agreement during the prime minister's visit to the Gulf nation.

"India and Oman share an all-encompassing strategic partnership underpinned by centuries-old bonds of friendship, trade linkages and strong people-to-people ties," the MEA said.

Modi's visit to Oman will mark 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and follows the state visit of Sultan Tarik to India in December 2023.

"This visit will be an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review the bilateral partnership, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the MEA said in a statement.