Oman, India to enhance relations, says envoy

NEW DELHI - Omani ambassador to India Humaid Ali Al-Maani Monday said India and Oman share a very special bond and their relationship will be “enhanced” further.

India is a very special partner for Oman and we are working to enhance this relationship further, not only in our cultural cooperation but in trade and political matters as well, Al-Maani told IANS, after inaugurating a two-day seminar on literature and cultural heritage of India and Oman at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here.

The university also hosted two scholars from the country, on the eve of its 40th National Day, who stressed on the similarities between the languages of India and Oman.

“Urdu has many Arabic words and Arabic too has many Indian words in it. So does our cultures, clothing etc. We have also also shared great trade relations,”said Dr. Said Sulaiman Al Isaie, one of the visiting scholars.

Another scholar, Dr. Ahmed Abdur-Rahman Salim Bil Khair, presented a paper titled “Role of Kerala in Arabic language in India”.

“This is my paper because Kerala was the place Arab traders first travelled to and it has influenced the culture and language a lot,” he said.