NEW DELHI, 20 January 2007 — Sultan Qaboos of Oman has been named the recipient of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for 2004, the government announced yesterday.
Since the Sultan assumed power in July 1970, he has “emerged as a leader who is much loved and admired not only by his own people but also by the entire region,” a government statement said.
Paying tributes to the sultan’s diplomatic vision, the statement said: “He has helped Oman establish close relations with many countries including India. India-Oman diplomatic ties, which are based on a shared vision to develop a partnership in the areas of politics, economics and culture, celebrated 50 years in 2005.” The fifty-year period is marked by the Indian Consulate opening its first office in Muscat in 1955. The process of high-level contacts began with the visit of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 for celebrations to mark the 15th anniversary of Sultan Qaboos’ accession to the throne. Sultan Qaboos visited India in April, 1997.
India instituted this award in 1965 in the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru for his “life-long dedication to the cause of world peace and international understanding.”
The award, which includes 2.5 million rupees ($550,000) in cash and a citation, is given annually for outstanding contribution to the promotion of understanding, goodwill and friendship among peoples of the world.
