Commemorative stamp marking 60 years of India-Oman ties unveiled

Muscat: A special stamp, marking 60 years of ‘India-Oman’ diplomatic relations, which was issued by Oman Post, was jointly unveiled by Indramani Pandey, the ambassador of India to Oman and Abdul Malik Abdul Karim al Balushi, chief executive officer of Oman Post, in a special ceremony held at the Indian embassy auditorium in Muscat yesterday.
This is the first time that Oman Post has issued a commemorative stamp to mark an important milestone in India’s historical relations with Oman. The design of the postage stamp depicts key monuments of the two countries—Oman’s iconic Grand Mosque and India’s Taj Mahal in Agra in subtly fused colours. The first-day cover of the stamp depicts the historical Muscat Gate and Mumbai’s Gateway of India.
The unveiling ceremony of the postal stamp also marked the culmination of the year-long celebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of establishment of India-Oman diplomatic ties, which began with the visit of Sushma Swaraj, external affairs minister of India to Oman in February last year. It was her first visit to Oman and provided a new momentum in bilateral relations.
During his speech on the momentous occasion, Ambassador Pandey spoke about different events, which were held last year, to commemorate relations between the two countries, which have been ongoing since 1955.
An Indian Film Festival was held in April 2015, in association with City Cinema and Yash Raj Films. After this, a lecture on “India-Oman Relations in a Historical and Contemporary Perspective” was also delivered by Talmiz Ahmed in May.
Besides these, in September last year, four Indian Naval Ships from the Western Fleet visited the Muscat port, which was followed by a joint voyage undertaken by INS Tarangini, an Indian Naval Sailing Ship, and ‘Shabab Oman,’ the sailing ship of the Royal Navy of Oman, both of which sailed from Muscat to Kochi from November 24 to December 3, 2015, tracing the ancient trading route between India and Oman.
Also present at the major event was Dr. Ali bin Ahmed Al-Isa’eei, undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman, and also the guest of honour at the event. Senior officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Oman Post, Ambassadors of other countries, members of the diplomatic corps, prominent members of the Indian community, Indian academicians from the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and stamp collectors also attended.