Diplomatist Magazine Oman 2018 - Special Report

vast far-eastern markets, right up to the great ports of Canton (modern day Guangzhou, China) and Nihon (Japan). These facts are also corroborated by the great 10th century Arab traveller, historian and geographer Abu Al Masudi in his memoirs. Quirky as it may sound, it was the dark ages of Europe and Central Asia which helped foster this enduring Indian-Omani relationship. Closure of the land routes almost stopped the rich spice trade. European nations’ desperate attempts to revive the spice trade by other means ultimately succeeded in 1499 when Vasco-da-Gama and his ships sailed from Lisbon across the tip of Africa, up to the eastern shores of Africa and into the port of Malindi near Mombasa, from where an Arab named Ahmad ibn Majid (also known as the Lion of the Sea) helped him cross the Arabian sea to the port of Calicut (Kochi, India). While the spice trade with India spiked post 1,500 AD, Ibn Majid leveraged the Indo- Arabian relationship dating back a further 3000 years, since around 1,600 BC, in helping Vasco-da-Gama reach Indian shores. The “Incense-Route” (trading of Frankincense Resin) had existed in the ancient times, linking the Mediterranean Region through Oman to India and beyond, to the Far East. Archaeological evidence also point to the trading relationship existing even further back, more than 5,000 years ago, when the early Indus Valley civilisation had trading links to Arabia through the shores of Oman. Thus, the people-to-people contact between India and Oman during this period beneﬁ ted from primarily two skills - a) trading skills and b) navigation skills. It is not surprising that even today, “General Trading” as a skilled license category forms the highest percentage of Indian businesses operating across the Middle East. G2G and P2P: Bonds between our two Governments and Indian and Omani Citizens One will run out of words if the true extent of the current relationship between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of India were tp be catalogued. Without doubt, it is one of the most strategic bilateral partnerships that can be had between any two countries around the world. The ﬁ rm moorings of our historic maritime and trade ties, the spectacular contribution made by the Indian diaspora in the growth of Oman, the intimate interactions of the Omani Royal Family with India, and more form the foundations of the strong bond between the two countries which is slated to grow even stronger in the coming years. Further, in continuation of the long tradition of state and high-powered delegation visits from both sides, recently, on the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Sh. Narendra Modi, paid a State visit to the Sultanate in the third week of February 2018. During this visit, various agreements and MoUs were signed, which are expected to have a positive impact on the bilateral relationship and included fields such as Education, Tourism, Healthcare, Judicial Cooperation, Mutual Visa Exemption, Defence, Science & Technology, and Space Research. The Government of India (GoI) has been offering fully sponsored training of Omani Ofﬁ cials in premier educational institutes in India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme. With regard to trade, India is the 4th largest source of imports into Oman after 2018 • INDIA-OMAN • 41

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