Eminent members of the diaspora,

Representatives of community organizations,

Members of Indian Community,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Indian Embassy.

It is a pleasure to see all of you gathered here to meet and greet our Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Muraleedharan ji.

On your behalf and on behalf of all the Indians living in Oman, it is my distinct privilege to welcome Shri Muraleedharan ji to Oman.

Sir, we are privileged to have you in our midst.

Dear Friends,

Muraleedharan ji is no stranger to you.

Over the past few years as our Minister of State for External Affairs with key responsibility of the Indian community worldwide, he has distinguished himself with his simplicity, humility, commitment and work ethic.

He genuinely cares about all Indians living abroad and pursues their interests and welfare with a remarkable focus and determination.

His commitment to the welfare of Indians can be seen from the fact that his first meeting after arrival in Muscat was not with the political leadership, social luminaries or the business community. He instead chose to spend his few official hours visiting a labour camp and interacting with Indian workers.

Over the last two days, he has kept a punishing schedule reaching out and interacting with the entire range of the Indian entities, professional organizations, charity workers, etc.

Friends,

While the duration of his visit this time is just about 48 hours, during this time Hon’ble Minister has honored us with the unveiling of the first ever statue of Mahatma Gandhi ji in Oman, inaugurated a permanent exhibition on India-Oman Political Journey and the newly designed Embassy Library; visited a Labour camp, had at least 10 separate meetings with Indian community organizations, held meetings with 3 Ministers in Government of Oman; witnessed the exchange of an MoU between ANI and Oman New Agency for exchange of news and information, as also the signing of a milestone MOU between Central Bank of Oman and National Payments Corporation of India for acceptance of RuPay cards in Oman and collaboration on the UPI platform including for remittances.

Besides this, he has met a cross-section of Government and business leaders among other interactions.

As your Ambassador, I can confirm that he has not taken even an hour’s break since he has landed in Muscat.

Hon’ble Minister’s commitment to work relentlessly for the welfare of Indians abroad is in consonance with the priority attached to active engagement with our diaspora by Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and is truly an inspiration to us. The Embassy of India in Muscat seeks to translate his vision and commitment in our daily interactions with all of you.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Without much further ado, may I invite Hon’ble Minister to address us and share his thoughts.

Please welcome him with a big round of applause.