‘Oman a very friendly country’
“The embassy here in Muscat also has been doing this,” he said.
“We have taken steps to reach out to the diaspora, to strengthen our interaction, and as ambassador, my intention is also to continue moving forward in this path and in this direction. First of all, the strategic partnership that we have with Oman is very extensive and covers a large number of areas. Therefore, we have to focus on multiple sectors.
“If we focus on the economic interaction between India and Oman, it is fairly robust, yet I would say it is still below the potential that we have, given the strong people-to-people links and given the strong and pretty good air and maritime connectivity that we have between our two countries.”
Mahawar previously served as Joint Secretary in charge of Relations with the Americas, and has also served in the offices of the Joint Secretary of matters relating to the United Nations, as well as in the Prime Minister’s Office.
He has also had two stints in Russia and one in Switzerland. This is his first assignment in the Middle East, and he is looking forward to seeing what Oman had to offer.
“It is a very friendly country, it is a country with which we have had extensive relationships, for a very long period of time, and there is a lot of love and affection in India towards Oman,” he said. “I have received a very warm welcome from whosoever I have met, whether from the Omani side or a member from the Indian diaspora.”
Particularly close
“There was always a strong desire on my part to work here and I am delighted to have gotten this opportunity. The Middle East is a very important area from India’s perspective. It is an area upon which we depend for our energy security, and the presence of a large diaspora is also critical for us. Within the GCC, I think our relations with Oman are particularly close. We have had historically close relations, we have had strong cooperation in the defence sector, our economic engagement has also been strong, and our trade goes back thousands of years.”