India and Oman have mutually agreed to cooperate in the field of Archives. A delegation of the National Archives of India (NAI), visited the National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) of Oman on February 21-22, aimed at exploring the areas of bilateral cooperation in the archival field.
According to the Ministry of Culture, both the countries have agreed on the need for formalising the institution-to-institution cooperation. In this regard, the draft of an Executive Programme of Cooperation (EPC) has been finalised, which would now be submitted for approval by the competent authorities of both parties and formally signed in the near future.
According to the proposed EPC, some of the activities agreed upon includes:
i) Organizing a joint exhibition based on curated archival materials from both archives, together with a conference highlighting the historical relations between India and Oman
ii) Exchanging digital copies of documents that hold mutual interest to enrich both collections.
iii) Facilitating a framework for exchange program involving experts in the fields of digitization and preservation to share knowledge on best practices of both institutions
iv) Bringing out a joint publication based on curated archival materials from both archives.
As a gesture of goodwill, the Indian delegation handed over a list of 70 select documents pertaining to Oman that are available in the National Archives of India (NAI). These documents cover a period from 1793 to 1953 and deal with a wide range of subjects.
Along with the list, 523 pages of copies of records were also handed over to the Chairman of National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) of Oman, which covered several important subjects, namely, Change of Omani Flag from red to white (1868); Succession of Sayyid Faisal bin Turki as ruler of Oman after the death of Sultan Sayyid Turki (1888); and more.
In addition, facsimile prints of three important treaties between the two countries were also gifted to the NRAA.