Geographically located at the centre of the maritime trade route between the Persian Gulf and the Far East in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka had naturally attracted Arab seafarers and seafaring vessels from ancient times and the country’s contact with the Arab world, dates back to pre- Christian era, said former Ambassador O.L. Ameer Ajwad who is the author of the book titled “Sri Lanka - Oman Relations: Past, Present and Future”, in an Interview.
Excerpts
Q: You have written a remarkable book on Sri Lankan–Oman Relations. Please tell us why did you want to write this book?
A: Sri Lanka and Oman trace their links to the mist of history. Geographically located at the centre of the maritime trade route between the Persian Gulf and the Far East in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka had naturally attracted Arab seafarers and seafaring vessels from ancient times. As such, Sri Lanka’s contact with the Arab world, dates back to pre-Christian era, primarily driven by trading.
 O.L. Ameer Ajwad
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Similarly, situated on the Eastern coasts of the Arabian Peninsula to the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean, Oman had played a major role in the ancient maritime trading and cultural exchanges. Early documented history records the passage of merchant seafarers from Oman to Sri Lanka and vice versa across the Indian Ocean as well as their service to the world as entrepôts of trade in the ancient Silk Road and Spice Route.
The book refers to the UNESCO records which states: “As early as 2000 BC, spices such as cinnamon from Sri Lanka and cassia from China found their way along the Spice Routes to the Middle East.”
The book highlights: “By the middle of the 9th century, there was an established trade route between Muscat and trading ports in the Far East. Vessels would set off from Muscat, Sohar, Qalhaat or Sur in Oman, crossing the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea, to reach India. From India, passage would be made to modern-day Sri Lanka and then across the Bay of Bengal to the Strait of Malacca.”
People-to-people connectivity had been the bedrock of modern Sri Lanka and Oman relations. Sri Lankan Community in the Sultanate has been an important component in forging relations between the two countries.The contribution by the Sri Lankan community in Oman in general, and in certain key aspects in particular, to the Sultanate’s social progress for over five decades, is well acknowledged.
The appointment of Felix de Silva, a Sri Lankan national, as the first Inspector General (IGP) of the Royal Omani Police (ROP) and Customs in the year of 1974 by Sultan Qaboos bin Said, bears testimony to the high point of trust bestowed on Sri Lankan nationals by the leadership of the Sultanate.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Sultanate of Oman has served as a catalyst to enhance and diversify bilateral relations to encompass a wide range of areas over the last four decades. Sri Lanka and Oman celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations on February 17, 2021. This was indeed a remarkable milestone in the history of the long standing relations underpinned by shared history and bonds of friendship between the two nations.
However, information on such a long-standing relations between the two countries is not adequately available in the public domain. Details of potential areas and untapped opportunities for cooperation and deeper engagement between the two countries are seldom available. Unfortunately, the current bilateral cooperation between the two countries does not reflect the true potential of the opportunities available in both countries.
The key factor, therefore, I identified as a practising Sri Lanka’s envoy to the Sultanate of Oman, was the lack of awareness of each other’s potentials and opportunities available in many areas of mutual interest. Hence, this humble contribution of authoring a book with a view to bridging the gap by way of providing vital information from both sides and suggesting a roadmap for deeper engagement in the future while recalling the glimpses of deep rooted history.
Q: Could you elaborate on the contents of the book?
A: The objective behind this book is to reinvigorate the past, highlight the present, and to propose pathways for the future cooperation by providing vital information with a view to fostering deeper economic engagement between the two countries.
The book sketches Sri Lanka and Oman relationship in five chapters that bring out its past, illustrates its presence and forecast its future.
Chapter one traces the Arab - Sri Lanka interactions from the early history and the main factors that attracted Arabs to visit Sri Lanka while highlighting the links from pre-Christian era to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandiyan periods of Sri Lanka history with reference to popular sources of history. The chapter also traces historical linkages between Sri Lanka and Oman by providing details of the ancient trade links between the two countries.
Chapter two deals with the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Sultanate of Oman and highlights the commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2021 with a variety of activities organised by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Oman jointly with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman.
Chapter three outlines the bilateral relations that exist between the two countries through exchanges of bilateral visits, signing of bilateral agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and provides details of the present status of the bilateral cooperation in multifaceted areas, including trade, investment, labour, defence and multilateral arena.
Chapter four deals with the long standing people to people ties between the two countries and provides details of early Sri Lankans in Oman, key Sri Lankan enterprises, key Sri Lankan business establishments, key Sri Lankan community organisations in Oman as well as important sectors to which contributions were made by the members of the Sri Lankan community in Oman.
Chapter five focuses on the future outlook of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, which is the primary objective of this book, and identifies highly potential areas for bilateral cooperation such as trade and investment, agriculture and fisheries, tourism, education, maritime and energy sectors that could synergise bilateral cooperation.
This chapter also endeavours to provide vital information and/or suggestions by sharing expert opinions under different sectors for cooperation and partnership between the two countries for the mutual benefits. Useful information relevant to the identified sectors under Chapter five was extracted from the official sources of different entities in both countries and have been quoted with the indication of their sources.
Q: share significant features of the book
A: The “Foreword” to the book which has been written by Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman, Sayid Badr Albusaidi testifies the importance of this book and, inter alia, he states: “this overview of successful bilateral initiatives ensures that every reader will find it informative, accessible and engaging.”
The former Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Sri Lanka Sheikh Juma bin Hamdan Al Shehhi who had served in Colombo for over seven years has sent a message to the book stating:”The ideas proposed in the book through the self-experience gained by a diplomat who served as Sri Lanka’s envoy to the Sultanate of Oman, add value to this book. A long-awaited necessity has been accomplished.”
Chapter five of the book is an important take away of the book as it eandeavours to suggest a roadmap by providing vital information of the opportunities available in both countries for cooperation/collaboration to regain the past glory that the both nations historically enjoyed by servicing the world as entrepôt of trade in the ancient silk and spice routes.
This chapter also brings expert opinions and professional experiences which were obtained by the author through personal interviews highlighting the opportunities that are unfolding under each identified sector to create much needed awareness to the benefit of the interested readers. The chapter also highlights the success stories that were achieved by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Muscat recently amid pandemic challenges, to showcase the doable projects and their viability for partnership for the mutual benefits of the two countries.