-Said bin Saleh al- Kiyoumi, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) announced in a press conference held today in OCCI building that OCCI will organize on December.14th the 2-day 5th Arab-Indian Partnership Conference at Barr al Jissah Resort under the theme “Partnership towards Innovation and Cooperation in Information Technology”. Said bin Saleh al- Kiyoumi said that Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd al- Said, Assistant Secretary-General at the office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs will patronize over the opening ceremony of the conference. He explained that the trade and investment exchange between the Sultanate and the Republic of India continues to grow, as there are a lot of Indian investment in the Sultanate, top on these is the Jindal Steel Factory, stressing that Omani businessmen and companies should play a mediator role between the African and East Asian markets due to the large size of these markets. Eng. Ridha bin Juma al- Saleh, OCCI Deputy Chairman for Administrative and Financial Affairs, said that the conference aims to expand the volume of trade and investment between the Sultanate and Arab countries and India and increase areas of cooperation between the Arab and Indian sides, in addition to urging Arab States and concerned organizations to participate in Arab-Indian Partnership Conference to exchange views on issues of common interest and to encourage the signing of commercial contracts and cooperation in the field of information technology, scientific research and biotechnology and to strengthen trade and economic relations by encouraging investment in infrastructure , basic manufacturing, food industries and medical tourism services. He added that it is expected that more than 500 government and academic officials, businessmen, businesswomen and investors from the Arab countries and India will participate in the conference, saying that the conference will focus on renewable energy, clean technology, food security, tourism, health welfare, technology, innovation, higher education, skills development, adding that the conference targets businessmen and investment companies and industrial companies related to financing investment projects and travel and tourism companies. He noted that the sessions of the conference will come within the orientations of the Sultanate for economic diversification, as the first session of the conference will discuss technology and innovation sector, the second session will deal with renewable energy and clean technology, the third meeting will deal with health and pharmaceutical industry, the fourth will discuss higher education and skills development issues and the fifth session will deal with food security and tourism sectors. Eng. Ridha bin Juma al- Saleh added that the conference will serve to strengthen the existing partnership levels between Arab countries and India in various fields, especially since India is a business partner and economically significant for many of the Arab countries in general and the Sultanate in particular, adding that this importance multiplies in the current economic situation of the drop in oil prices and the search for alternatives for economic diversification by encouraging domestic and foreign investment and encourage the growth and prosperity of other production and service sectors. It is worth mentioning that the 4th Arab-Indian Partnership Conference was held on November.26th-27th in New Delhi under the theme “New Horizons in Investment, Trade and Services”, in implementation of the memorandum of understanding and the executive program of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum. Two memoranda of understanding were signed between the Arab and Indian sides and bilateral meetings were held between Arab businessmen and investors and their Indian counterparts.