India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Visits Mauritius
Strengthening Ties with Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on a two-day official visit to Mauritius. During his visit, he reaffirmed India’s support for Mauritius and expressed pride in being a partner in its journey towards modernity. This visit marks his first bilateral trip to Port Louis after being re-appointed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Jaishankar made these remarks at the inauguration of projects and the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Mauritius in Port Louis, in the presence of Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. He emphasized the strength and depth of the bilateral ties between the two nations and India’s unwavering commitment to this special partnership.
Jaishankar recalled his meeting with Prime Minister Jugnauth, where they discussed various aspects of their bilateral relationship, including Development Partnership, Defence and Maritime Corporation, economic and trade ties, and people-to-people linkages. He highlighted that Mauritius is part of India’s Neighbourhood First Policy, Vision SAGAR, Africa Forward Initiative, and commitment to the Global South.
Jaishankar also mentioned President Draupadi Murmu’s visit to Mauritius earlier this year and handed over the first Overseas Citizen of India cards to two seventh-generation Indian origin Mauritians. He noted the inauguration of the Mediclinic in Grand Bois and the upcoming Civil Service College in Moka, both built with Indian assistance.
He highlighted the inauguration of 12 community development projects, with 37 out of 96 such projects becoming operational within a year. He also mentioned the space cooperation project between India’s ISRO and Mauritius MRIC, aiming to launch a satellite for Mauritius.
Jaishankar handed over a royalty payment cheque of 1.3 million Mauritian rupees from the sale of Mauritian nautical charts produced by the joint hydrography service. He also discussed supporting the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in digitizing records of indentured workers and renewing the term of the ICCR Chair in Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy at the MGI for another five years.
On the issue of Chagos, Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for Mauritius in line with its principal stand on decolonization and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.
Jaishankar’s visit to Port Louis comes around a month after Prime Minister Jugnauth visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new cabinet.
